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DC police officers won’t face criminal charges in fatal shooting of man after McDonald’s crash

Two D.C. police officers will not face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old man outside a McDonald’s in Southeast last September, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The shooting happened Sept. 1, following a crash and a struggle between Justin Robinson and police.

After reviewing the shooting with D.C. police’s internal affair’s division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. said it found “insufficient evidence” to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges or D.C. charges against the officers. 

The investigation included reviewing body camera footage, which was made public after Robinson’s family called for its release, alongside surveillance video or audio, witness accounts, autopsy records and police reports.

Robinson had worked as a violence interrupter in D.C. His death sparked outrage and prompted hundreds of mourners to gather at McDonalds for a vigil, with supporters arguing the officers should have done more to deescalate the situation before firing their weapons.

Officers responded to McDonald’s in the 2500 block of Marion Barry Avenue SE at around 5:20 a.m. after Robinson crashed a vehicle into the side of the restaurant, according to D.C. police.

“Robinson had been sitting inside his car in the drive-thru of the McDonald’s, unresponsive, for around an hour before it moved forward and crashed into the building,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

Police said they saw a gun in Robinson’s lap, but while they were coming up with a plan to remove the gun, Robinson woke up.

Officers screamed at Robinson to “put his hands up and not to touch the gun.”

Robinson did not hand over his gun and police said he reached for the officer’s gun.

Police told Robinson to let go of the gun — when he refused, two officers fired 11 rounds, fatally wounding him.

Fire officials and officers tried to resuscitate Robinson, but he died at the scene.

The findings from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. come after Robinson’s family called on the Justice Department to launch a civil rights investigation into his killing.

A spokesperson with D.C. police confirmed to WTOP that the two officers are back on duty and an internal investigation is ongoing.

WTOP has reached out to an attorney for Robinson’s family for comment.

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Jessica Kronzer

Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

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