Murder charge filed against man accused of fatally shooting 9-year-old girl
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Court documents show a Minneapolis man has been charged with murder after 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith was fatally shot last spring in north Minneapolis.
According to a criminal complaint, 19-year-old D’pree Shareef Robinson has been charged with one count of second-degree murder with intent.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Robinson was arrested Wednesday for Ottoson-Smith’s death. She was shot while playing on a trampoline in the backyard of her friend’s home. Police say at the time of the shooting, the shooter drove down the alley and fired at a home, hitting the girl. She died less than two weeks later.
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The complaint states police were called to the 2200 block of Ilion Avenue North just after 8:30 p.m. on May 15 for a ShotSpotter activation and discovered a drive-by shooting was captured on surveillance video.
Booking photo of Robinson provided by Hennepin County Sheriff's Office
According to the document, video showed Ottoson-Smith and two other kids were on the trampoline between the shooter and the intended targets, who were on the side porch of the home.
The complaint goes on to say one of the three people, identified as males, chased after the vehicle and appeared to return fire three times. Police say they found three discharged cartridge casings in the alley.
After reviewing the video, police say they determined the vehicle used in the drive-by shooting was a 2014 Ford Fusion with Minnesota license plates and found the vehicle was registered to Robinson. Police also found Robinson’s last known cellphone was in the same area as the suspect vehicle at the time of the shooting.
The complaint also states Robinson claimed on his social media accounts he was “an active shooter for the Black Disciples Criminal Street Gang,” made references to firearms and shooting, and also referred to himself as a “Gangster Disciple Killer,” a rival gang of the Black Disciples.
According to the document, Robinson was threatening a male, identified as W.J., who lived on the 2200 block of Ilion Avenue in February of 2021 and had been romantically involved with the male’s sister but had gone through a breakup.
The document goes on to say that, about 30 minutes after the shooting, Robinson did three searches on his phone regarding changing the paint on a 2014 Ford Fusion, but then quit using that cellphone.
Police say the Ford Fusion that Robinson bought has not been found, despite a nationwide search.
Documents say W.J. and colleagues are part of a street gang named “Money Chasing Demons,” or MCD.
According to police, they also searched Robinson’s social media conversations and found a message with his girlfriend, identified as A.H., in June of 2021.
In that conversation, the complaint states A.H. called Robinson a “child killer” and told him “i hope you die for killin that lil girl.”
In February of 2022, the complaint states investigators spoke with a witness, who told investigators Robinson had admitted to being at the scene at the time of the shooting. The witness told police Robinson had stated “he seen that a girl had, um, had been shot in the head. But he said, he-he-he basically was telling me in a way he was confused. He didn’t know if it was them, or it could have been him.”
Robinson’s first court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Hennepin County Court.
If convicted, Robinson faces up to 40 years in prison.
Ottoson-Smith was one of three young children who were shot in Minneapolis last spring.
Ladavionne Garrett Jr., 10, was shot and critically injured on April 10 while riding in a car. He was recovering in the hospital for months and was released in November.
Aniya Allen, 6, was shot two days after Ottoson-Smith and later died from her injuries.
The families of the victims and Crime Stoppers of Minnesota teamed up to offer a $30,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shootings.
Minneapolis Police Department Officer Garrett Parten said, as of Wednesday, no arrests have been made in the shootings of Garrett and Allen.