A candlelit vigil was held Friday evening by Black Lives Matter and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, to remember 26-year-old Justin Robinson, who was fatally shot by D.C. police last Sunday.
Chants of “Justice for Justin!” were shouted out as hundreds of mourners returned to the scene where the shooting took place: the McDonald’s on Marion Barry Avenue in Southeast D.C.
A sea of people, balloons and lit candles could be seen for hundreds of yards, as D.C. police blocked off the street to let demonstrators conduct the vigil peacefully.
Speakers that included Justin Robinson’s family and community organizers said he was taken too soon.
“Our team and our community has been broken by this,” one speaker said. “Broken! And there’s no way to bring this young man back.”
Police responded after Robinson crashed his car into the side of the McDonald’s around 5:30 a.m. last Sunday. The police department said officers found Robinson unresponsive in the car, with a firearm in his lap.
After some time, officers said Robinson was moving around in the vehicle with the gun. He was shot after being told repeatedly by officers to drop the weapon, and even grabbing at the gun of another D.C. police officer when he was approached.
Robinson worked at the D.C. Attorney General’s Office in their “Cure the Streets” violence interruption program.
Many speakers Friday evening talked about how he made it his business to de-escalate violent situations and preach peace.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and body cam footage may still be released. The officers who fired at Robinson have been placed on administrative leave.
