David Lee Robinson | Homicide Watch DC

WaPo: "David Robinson tried to escape the violence all around him. Instead he was killed four months before the birth of his son."

Laura Amico — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 08:16:50 -0400

The Washington Post has a feature this morning on David Lee Robinson, killed in a robbery in January 2012.

Write Post reporter Paul Duggan:

Victims who aren’t perceived as innocent tend to draw scant public notice or sympathy, and the shooting of David Robinson appalled the civic conscience only briefly, owing to the dismal particulars of the crime: He had died in a gunfight after being robbed of his new Nike sneakers.

“The circumstances are not only tragic, they are incredibly disquieting,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) said hours after the slaying as he appeared at a previously scheduled church vigil against violence.”A life for a pair of Nike tennis shoes? C’mon, ladies and gentlemen! It’s time for us to be able to end this tragic violence in our society.”

There was a pistol on the pavement near David when the police found him bleeding and unconscious. He carried a gun routinely, for self-protection, he used to say.

“My best friend,” he called his piece.

It was how he lived. But he wanted a better way.

According to data from MPD in Homicide Watch DC's 2012 Year in Review, robbery was the second most common motive in homicides that year, with 12 of the 92 homicides classified as robbery.

No arrests have been made in Robinson's case.

Memorials for David Robinson and Howard Sampler

Laura Amico — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:10 -0500

Washington's Other Monuments has photos of two street memorials: One for David Robinson and another for Howard Ricardo Sampler. See more photos at Washington's Other Monuments.

A memorial for David Robinson

A memorial for Howard Ricardo Sampler

Links Roundup: Killed for $200 Nikes

Laura Amico — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:48:35 -0500

Just hours after David Lee Robinson was found shot in Northeast DC Sunday, Mayor Vincent Gray took to the pulpit at an event to speak out against gun violence and told those gathered that Robinson was killed for his sneakers.

Reported Fox5's Paul Wagner:

David Lee Robinson went out Saturday night dressed in a pair of Nike shoes his mother bought for him less than two months ago.

Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, D.C. Police say the 19-year-old Robinson and another man were standing at a bus stop at the intersection of 58th Street and Foote Street in Northeast waiting for the U8 bus when a small grey or silver SUV pulled up and the men inside announced a stickup.

There was an exchange of gunfire and Robinson fell dead. When police arrived, they found Robinson shoeless with a gun nearby.

Added WTOP:

"We are searching for a vehicle and are asking the assistance of the public in trying to locate the vehicle," says Lt. Robert Alder with D.C. Police.

"It's a small gray or silver 4-door SUV, and we believe the vehicle would have some bullet holes in it and probably some broken glass," he says.

"We don't have any information that suggests that this was not a stranger-on-stranger robbery," Alder says.

Watch video reports from Fox5, WJLA, WUSA and NBC Washington below.

DC Teen Killing Believed To Be Over Pair of Shoes: MyFoxDC.com

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

Mayor Gray: David Lee Robinson Killed for his Nike Shoes

Laura Amico — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:25:25 -0500

NBC Washington reports that at a vigil in memory of gun violence victims, Mayor Vincent Gray discussed Sunday's shooting of David Lee Robinson.

Robinson, 19, was shot for his Nike shoes, Gray said.

Reported NBC Washington:

"He was being robbed for his Nike tennis shoes," Gray said. "A life for a pair of Nike tennis shoes? Come on ladies and gentlemen. It is time for us to be able to end this type of tragic violence in our society."

The mayor said that there had been a shootout at Foote Street, and that bullet casings littered the scene. Gray described the deadly exchange as a "gun battle."

Sunday Morning Shooting Victim IDed as 19-year-old David Lee Robinson

Laura Amico — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:52:25 -0500

A man fatally shot early Sunday morning in Northeast DC has been identified as 19 year-old David Lee Robinson, a Northwest DC man, MPD said Sunday.

According to a press release, MPD officers were responding to a call for a report of gunshots in the area of 58th and Foote streets NE when they found Robinson shot. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

MPD's press release is below.

January 8, 2012

Homicide: 5700 Block of Foote Street, NE

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch are investigating the fatal shooting which occurred in the 5700 block of Foote St., NE.

On Sunday, January 08, 2012, at approximately 2:21 am, officers from the Sixth District heard the sounds of gunshots in the area of 58th and Foote Streets, NE, and responded to investigate. Upon arriving the officers located an adult male victim suffering from gunshot wounds who was unconscious and unresponsive. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent has been identified as 19 year-old David Lee Robinson of Northwest, Washington, DC.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to DC CRIME SOLVERS at 1-800-673-2777 and to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. If the information provided by the caller to the Crime Solvers Unit leads to an arrest and indictment, that caller will be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Man Killed in Shooting in NE DC Early Sunday Morning

Laura Amico — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:15:55 -0500

NBC Washington reports that a man shot in Northeast DC early Sunday morning had died of his injuries.

Early Sunday morning, MPD's Sixth District Commander Robert Contee sent the following message to the community listserv:

The Sixth District is currently investigating a shooting at 58th and Foote Street N.E.

Anyone with information should call 1-888-919-CRIME or text 50411.

A DC Alert was also issued, stating that the victim was an adult male. According to NBC Washington, the victim has not been identified yet.