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Another young Black man has had his life stolen by police officers who squeeze first and ask questions last. Earlier this week, body camera video was released showing 26-year-old Justin Robinson being gunned down by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in the early morning of September 1, 2024. Ironically, Robinson was a dedicated activist against gun violence and put in the work to help change his community.
According to the police reports as documented by CBS News, at 5:30 am MPD officers responded to a call about a car that had crashed into a local McDonald’s. When they arrived on the scene, it was noted that the driver of the vehicle, Robinson, was unresponsive with a firearm in his lap.
In the video, you will see officers approaching with their weapons drawn and trained on the driver’s side of the car while telling Robinson, “Sir, keep your hand off the gun.” What follows is an officer threatening to shoot Robinson “in the f***ing face” and then a barrage of bullets fired into the shocked man’s vehicle.
Warning! The video is graphic. Please take your mental health into account before pressing play.
According to CNN, the Robinson family was very reluctant to consent to this footage because MPD informed them that it would be heavily redacted once released to the public. Justin’s sister Tralicia said, “We wanted to watch the video ourselves and then be able to tell our own story before the video was redacted.”
Robinson was someone who felt strongly about protecting children from gun violence and worked for a program called “Cure the Streets” which was created by the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General.
“He always had a smile,” his sister told (CNN affiliate) WUSA. “If anyone ever see him and it’s time to depart they’ll say, ‘I love you,’ and he’ll say, ‘I love you more.”
Rest in peace to Justin Robinson. If you find it in your heart to help his family, there is a GoFundMe set up to accept donations.