FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 12, 2015
Statement from Chris Ahmuty, ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director:
According to media accounts, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne has announced that his office will not file charges against Madison police officer Matt Kenny, who shot and killed Mr. Tony Robinson on March 6, 2015. In response to the announcement, ACLU of Wisconsin issued the following statement. It is attributable to ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Chris Ahmuty.
“The ACLU of Wisconsin regrets District Attorney Ozanne’s decision because it leaves a cloud of uncertainty over the circumstances of and the responsibility for Tony Robinson’s death. If Officer Kenny did not violate the law, then is anyone legally responsible for Mr. Robinson’s death? Does the criminal law protect individuals like Mr. Robinson from deadly force exercised by police officers? Are police officers above the law?
Furthermore, what will the Madison Police Department do to ensure that Madison police officers stop killing unarmed individuals, when they have killed three people in the past 11 months? The MPD needs to find ways to hold officers accountable, so that they will know there will be consequences for their actions.
City leaders need to continue to work to make sure that the Madison Police Department and all its members work to protect and serve all residents in an unbiased and professional manner.”
The ACLU of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan, private organization whose 7,000 members support its efforts to defend the civil rights and liberties of all Wisconsin residents. For more on the ACLU of Wisconsin, visit our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @ACLUofWisconsin and @ACLUMadison.