The funeral of 19-year-old Tony Robinson Jr, the bi-racial unarmed Wisconsin man shot dead by a police officer, attracted around one thousand people.

The incident reignited the anti-police sentiment sparked by the similar shooting of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson in late 2014.

Like Us on Facebook

Matt Kenny, the cop who shot Robinson on March 6, said that the youth attacked him when he responded to a call about a man who assaulted several people. Police admitted that Robinson, the son of a white mother and black father, was unarmed, reports SMN Weekly.

According to the autopsy, Robinson - called Terrell by his family and friends - had gunshot marks on the head, torso and upper body. The Division of Criminal Investigation, which is under the Wisconsin Department of Justice, is investigating the incident that led to peaceful protest and community gatherings.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said he understood that Robinson's death caused distrust in the police. He supported peaceful protests by the community.

As part of the Robinson family's call for peaceful protest, sympathizers who came at the Saturday funeral, held at Wisconsin High School, were asked to put away their signs, although some got away by wearing T-shirts that state "Black Lives Matter," which became the slogan of the anti-police protests.

Rev. David Hart, who led the memorial, said, "It's up to us to support Terrell's vision of immortality ... through our commitment to ensure that another senseless and violent murder like this doesn't happen."

Among those who gave their eulogy were Terrell's grandmother, an aunt and a female friend who used to play basketball with him.

Johanna Valdez, Terrell's basketball friend, said, "He was always listening if you needed someone to talk to," quotes AP. 

Tagsshooting, Wisconsin