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MADISON, Wis., March 11 (Reuters) – About 1,500 people, some banging plastic pails or blowing whistles, marched on Wednesday afternoon to the Wisconsin corrections department in Madison to protest the fatal police shooting last week of an unarmed biracial young man.
The shooting of Tony Robinson, 19, in Wisconsin’s capital by a veteran white Madison police officer on Friday was the latest in a string of officer-involved deaths around the country that have heightened concerns about racial bias in U.S. law enforcement.
A rally over another such shooting was to be held Wednesday evening in Decatur, Georgia. Activists are questioning the use of force against Anthony Hill, a 27-year-old black man, who was naked and unarmed when he was shot and killed by a white police officer in an Atlanta suburb on Monday.
The mostly young Wisconsin protesters carried signs calling for “Justice for Tony.”
Robinson’s mother, Andrea Irwin, said her “wonderful” son would be in awe of the crowd’s support, and that she wanted no violence done in his name.
“I want to be able to make a change,” Irwin said. “I don’t want my son to have died in vain.”
No arrests were made, and police presence was light, with only about 10 uniformed officers.
The officer who shot Robinson, Matt Kenny, had responded to calls about a man who had battered someone and was dodging traffic in the street, police have said. Police said Kenny shot Robinson after the young man attacked him.
