DC Violence Interrupter Shot and Killed by Police in Southeast – NBC4 Washington

A man who worked as an anti-violence mediator was shot and killed by officers in Washington, D.C., on Sunday morning after he drove into a McDonald’s in Southeast, refused to drop his weapon and then grabbed an officer’s gun, according to police.

Justin Robinson, of Southeast, was killed. He was 26.

Robinson worked as an interrupter at the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office and the Cure the Streets program, the office said.

The day after the murder, protesters blocked traffic in front of the Seventh Precinct police station.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the McDonald’s in the 2500 block of Marion Barry Avenue SE, in the Skyland neighborhood, around 5:30 a.m. Officers found that a driver had struck the side of the fast food restaurant, causing minor damage, police said.

DC police have identified the man who was shot and killed by officers outside a McDonald’s in Southeast on Sunday morning.

A witness told News4 that at least two drivers were passed out in the drive-thru, holding up the line. He said he knocked on their windows to wake them up, but it didn’t work. He said he pulled out of the parking lot, but continued to watch from a distance and record on his cell phone as police approached the area.

Police said Robinson was unresponsive and officers saw a gun in his lap. Officers called for backup, Robinson began to move and he reached for his gun, Police Chief Pamela Smith said Sunday morning.

“He had his weapon in his hand, he was told to drop the weapon, our officers extended their firearm and the suspect grabbed his weapon at that point,” Smith said.

A written statement from police released Monday said: “As the officers approached the suspect with their service weapons drawn, the suspect grabbed one of the officer’s service weapons.”

DC Police shot and killed a sleeping man in a car who appeared to have a gun. News4’s Derrick Ward reports.

Two officers opened fire, hitting Robinson.

“Oh! Oh! Shots! Shots! Oh! Oh!” the witness can be heard yelling into the cell phone.

DC Fire and EMS immediately began treating Robinson, but he passed away.

Police shared a photo of what they say was Robinson’s firearm.

The officers who opened fire were placed on administrative leave, per MPD policy. Bodycam footage will be released in accordance with D.C. law.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.

Robinson pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with intent to kill in 2018 and was sentenced to five years in prison, according to court records. He was released in January 2022.

“I am very, very saddened by the death of Mr. Robinson,” said Attorney General Brian Schwalb. “As I said, I want to let the facts play out, let the investigation determine what really happened. But here’s the reality: Many of the people who do this work of violence interruption in our city have been convicted of crimes in the past. They’ve served their time, they’ve done their penance, and now they’re looking for ways to make their city better.”

Schwalb says Cure the Streets is reducing crime in the city.

“We look geographically at where historical crime occurred before the Cure the Streets locations came into focus,” he said. “We look at it over time, chronologically, and we can measure the number of shootings and the number of fatalities. We also measure the number of mediations and agreements and community events that are created in those communities, because it not only breaks the cycle of violence. It then builds relationships.”

In her speech on Sunday, the police chief pointed out the dangers officers face.

“This is just another reminder of the dangers our officers face every day as they work to protect the residents and visitors of the District of Columbia,” she said.

The police shooting came four days after Detective Wayne David was fatally shot while trying to retrieve a gun a suspect had hidden in a sewer.

Stay tuned to this story via NBC Washington.

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