Police Supporters Gather At The State Capitol Following Madison Shooting Death

Hundreds gathered at the state Capitol’s police memorial Wednesday afternoon to show support for law enforcement in the wake of the police shooting of an unarmed Madison man.

Among those in the crowd was Madison Officer Carren Corcoran, who said it’s important to be reminded that there are people who know Madison police are doing a good job.

“And I think there’s a lot more people than not that know we’re doing a good job,” she said.

Last Friday, Madison Police Officer Matt Kenny shot and killed Tony Robinson, a 19-year-old man of mixed race. Kenny was responding to call of a man jumping in and out of traffic after assaulting someone.

People upset by the incident have held repeated demonstrations this week, at times shouting “jail killer cops,” or calling for Kenny to be fired. Corcoran said that’s hard to hear.

“I think it’s a tragedy. Knowing the officer, he’s a very, very good man, separate from being a police officer. So it’s pretty sad,” Corcoran said.

Madison court clerk Kelly McConnell echoed that feeling, saying the response to the Robinson case has been disappointing.

“I don’t think we should be jumping to conclusions on cases like this, and what’s happening is these officers are being called racists, they’re being called killers. They have a right to defend themselves like anyone else would,” she said.

Wednesday’s gathering was a mostly quiet event as organizers gave brief speeches urging people to thank police officers when they see them.