MADISON (WKOW)-- Several hundred protestors gathered outside Madison
City Hall to speak out against the police shooting of Paul Heenan. Organizers are upset with the way the case was investigated.
"The
information that the police department had and has released and the
process itself, in our opinion has been conducted in a way to show the
police department in the best light and to facilitate a process of
exoneration," says demonstration organizer Samuel Stevenson.
That's why they're calling for city officials to conduct another investigation. One they feel will insure justice for Heenan.
"We gather not only because of what has happened, but also out of the
very real fear that a tragic inherent use of lethal force against an
unarmed civilian by a police officer may well occur again," Stevenson explains.
Hundreds gathered for the cause, many had never even met Heenan.
"People
are deterred now from calling the cops because some of them are
hot-tempered or temperamental and they may use excessive force for no
reason," says Keith Kinion.
Some protestors even belonged to other groups such as the Madison Underclass, a group of masked protestors dressed in black.
"He was killed and his life was taken and that really is unacceptable," says one of the group's members.
Organizers say the demonstration is just one of many they plan to host in the coming weeks. Calling on city officials to actively seek an outside agency to handle the case.
"Until that demand is met, we don't plan on letting this issue go," says Stevenson.
Recently another voice has joined the group's cause. Mike Bell, the father of a young man shot and killed by a Kenosha police officer has joined the debate. On Sunday he and the Heenan family will meet to discuss future plans for the case.
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MADISON (WKOW)-- It's been two months since 30-year-old Paul Heenan was shot and killed by Madison police officer Stephen Heimsness during a robbery in progress call on November 9th. However, several are still concerned and frustrated with the way the events of that night were handled.
On Saturday January 12th, several community members are hosting a demonstration to show their frustration with the Madison Police Department's recent decisions. The event will start at noon outside the Madison City-County Building at 210 Martin Luther King Drive.
Organizers of the event say its purpose is to motivate the city to allow an independent investigation of the case. They believe the investigation was conducted by a biased party and didn't look at all the facts and details.
The case was investigated by both the Madison Police Department and the Dane County District Attorney. Neither entity found any wrong doing by the officer involved in the shooting.
