U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation Into Fatal Police Shooting of Justin Robinson

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officers for their role in a September 1, 2024, fatal shooting of Justin Robinson, 25.

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the MPD's Internal Affair's Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included a review of physical evidence, surveillance video footage, body-worn camera footage, audio and visual recordings from nearby video cameras, witness accounts, autopsy records, and MPD reports.

On September 1, 2024, at about 5:20 a.m., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Officers received a radio run for a vehicle that had crashed into the side of the McDonald's located at 2529 Marion Barry Avenue in Southeast D.C. MPD Officers and D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Service (DCFEMS) members responded to the scene and observed an unresponsive individual, later identified as Justin Robinson, sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Mr. 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. When the MPD Officers arrived, they observed a firearm in plain view in Mr. Robinson's lap.

As the officers were devising a plan to remove the firearm from the vehicle, Mr. Robinson woke up, prompting multiple officers to scream at Mr. Robinson to put his hands up and not to touch the gun. As an MPD officer reached into the car and attempted to retrieve the gun from Mr. Robinson's lap, a struggle ensued, during which Mr. Robinson refused to relinquish control of his own gun and grabbed the firearm of that MPD Officer. MPD officers instructed Mr. Robinson to take his hand off the gun. After this warning, as Mr. Robinson continued to struggle, two MPD officers discharged a total of 11 rounds from their service pistols at Mr. Robinson, striking him.

After Mr. Robinson was struck by the MPD Officers' discharged rounds, the officers safely removed Mr. Robinson's firearm, removed Mr. Robinson from the vehicle, and immediately began resuscitation efforts. Although DCFEMS took over the life-saving efforts, Mr. Robinson was pronounced dead on the scene.

After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the MPD Officers were criminally liable for Mr. Robinson's death.

The U.S. Attorney's Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. MPD's Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

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