Madison police officer Matt Kenny, who shot dead unarmed 19-year-old Tony Terrell Robinson in an episode that has sparked widespread community condemnation, has been described as a “caring, conscientious individual” by the city’s police chief in a blog post rushing to the officer’s defense.
Police chief Mike Koval, who has previously apologised to the Robinson family for the teenager’s death and endorsed the rights of the thousands of protesters marching in Robinson’s name, published the post through the department’s official website, which also describes officer Kenny as “a consummate professional and committed to selfless service”.
“I have known officer Kenny for over twelve years, having served as one of the training staff when he was first commissioned,” Koval writes. “Officer Kenny is a caring, conscientious individual who has a Bachelors Degree from Edgewood College and had a robust career as a medic in the Coast Guard.”
Koval goes on to note the officer has received 45 commendations or recognitions and was a keen first aider.
A Guardian investigation reported a number of eyewitnesses saw officer Kenny’s patrol car at the apartment where Robinson was shot without his rooftop siren lights on. An eyewitness described Kenny and another officer carrying Robinson’s limp body out of the apartment “like a piece of garbage”. A friend of Robinson’s, who the Guardian decided not to name, said the teenager had taken a large amount of magic mushrooms in the hours before his death.
One of the 911 calls made to police before Robinson’s death was from a friend who concerned because he was behaving erratically. He is alleged to have assaulted a pedestrian and was allegedly observed running in and out of traffic.
Officer Kenny reportedly administered CPR on Robinson after the shots were fired. An initial autopsy indicates the teenager was shot in the head, the torso and the upper right extremity. The medical examiner did not disclose the number of shots fired.
Koval writes in the blog that just as he is critical of media reports smearing Robinson over his criminal record, “the same outrage must be expressed for those who are judging officer Kenny on the basis of little more than headlines about the number of rounds, shot placement, and the fact he has used deadly force in the past (for which he was fully exonerated and recognized for his ability to place himself in harm’s way).”
The incident is being investigated by the Wisconsin department of justice’s division of criminal investigation. The findings of their review are expected to be delivered in the next few weeks.
Koval’s office did not respond to a request for further comment from the Guardian.
