No charges will be filed against DC police officers for fatal shooting of Justin Robinson; prosecutors claim lack of evidence
Jan 15, 2025
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- The U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. said no charges will be filed against two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers for the Sept. 1, 2024, fatal shooting of Justin Robinson, 25, due to lack of evidence, according to prosecutors.
On Sept. 1, 2024, at about 5:20 a.m., MPD received information about a vehicle that had crashed into the side of the McDonald’s at 2529 Marion Barry Avenue in Southeast D.C.
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When police and DC Fire and EMS Department (DCFD) crews arrived at the scene, they found Robinson, who seemed to be unresponsive sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle.
Officers said Robinson had been unresponsive inside his vehicle in the drive-thru of the McDonald’s for about an hour before it moved forward and crashed into the building.
Police said they saw that there was a gun in Robinson's lap.
While police were trying to figure out how to safely remove the gun from the vehicle, Robinson woke up, which caused the officers to yell at Robinson to put his hands up and not touch the gun.
An officer then reached into the car and attempted to grab Robinson's gun from his lap when a struggle started.
During the struggle, Robinson did not want to give up his gun and instead grabbed the gun of that officer.
Police then told Robinson to take his hand off the officer's gun. The struggle continued and two officers then discharged 11 rounds at Robinson, hitting him.
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Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, Robinson died there.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the MPD’s Internal Affairs Division investigated the incident by using physical evidence, surveillance and body-worn camera video, audio and visual recordings as well as witness accounts, autopsy records and reports.
Prosecutors said that after a thorough investigation, they didn't find enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the MPD officers were criminally liable for Robinson’s death.