Summary Shooting of Tony Robinson Jr. by officer Matt Kenny was one of a series of recent police shootings.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old African-American youth in Wisconsin used justifiable force and will not face criminal charges, authorities said Tuesday.
The March 6 shooting of Tony Robinson Jr. by officer Matt Kenny was one of a series of recent police shootings of black men which which have set racial tensions on edge across the United States.
"I conclude that this tragic and unfortunate death was the result of a lawful use of deadly police force and that no charges should be brought," Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said in a press conference.
Family who contacted police indicated they thought Robinson might have been under the influence of psychotropic mushrooms, the prosecutor noted.
Ozanne said police were called three times in five minutes to respond to an agitated, shirtless Robinson who had allegedly hit a friend and random pedestrians, one in the face.
Another witness observed Robinson speaking to his father and others who were not present, the prosecutor said.
Officer Kenny then had to open an apartment door to reach Robinson, according to the prosecutor.
"Tony s behavior was aggressive, violent and (the officer) feared for his safety and that of others as well, and for the safety of Tony Robinson, Jr," Ozanne added.
"There were seven shots fired. All seven shots hit Tony Robinson, Jr. At close range.," in three seconds, the prosecutor said.
Robinson s relatives have told US media that they did not believe the policeman followed appropriate procedures, that they do not understand why so many shots were fired.
They have also questioned why the officer resorted to deadly force.
The Madison decision was being closely watched after recent unrest linked to the death of an unarmed young black man in Baltimore in police custody.
The US Department of Justice has launched a federal civil rights investigation into whether police in Baltimore have systematically discriminated against residents, after the death of an African-American man in police custody.
The death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who succumbed to a serious spinal injury suffered while in the back of a police van last month, sparked violent unrest that led authorities to declare a city-wide curfew and deploy the National Guard.
Gray s death occurred at a time of exacerbated tensions in the United States over police treatment of blacks, following the death of a number of unarmed African-American men at the hands of officers.
One of the most prominent cases was that of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was fatally shot in Ferguson, Missouri last year, sparking extensive and sometimes violent protests across the nation.
The white officer who shot Brown, Darren Wilson, was not indicted. A Justice Department investigation said it found a widespread pattern of racial discrimination by Ferguson s largely white police force, and multiple violations of citizens constitutional rights.
