A federal judge has removed the City of Madison as a defendant in the lawsuit brought by Andrea Irwin, the mother of Tony Robinson, the black teenager who was shot and killed by a white Madison Police Department officer in 2015.
US District Judge James Peterson ruled Monday that the civil rights lawsuit presented no evidence that City practices or procedures caused Robinson’s death.
The judge denied the request of Officer Matt Kenny, who shot Robinson, to be removed as a defendant as well.
“The bottom line is that (Irwin) has not adduced evidence to show that Robinson died because the city turned a blind eye to obvious problems with the police department’s investigation or response to officer-involved shootings. Accordingly, (Irwin’s) constitutional claim against the city fails,” Peterson’s ruling reads in part.
District Attorney Ishmael Ozanne declined to bring charges against Kenny, and an internal Madison Police Department investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The civil rights lawsuit is scheduled to go to a jury trial February 27.
