Man indicted on 1st-degree murder in 9-year-old girl’s death

A 19-year-old Minneapolis man has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of a 9-year-old girl last year.

A Hennepin County grand jury indicted D’pree Shareef Robinson on three counts of first-degree murder in the death of Trinity Ottoson-Smith.

Ottoson-Smith was shot while playing on a trampoline in the backyard of her friend’s home on May 15, 2021. She died less than two weeks later.

Robinson was arrested in February and charged with second-degree murder. His indictment now upgrades those charges, with Robinson now facing the possibility of life in prison. Additionally, his bail was increased to $2 million. He remained in custody as of Friday afternoon.

Minneapolis police were called to the 2200 block of Ilion Avenue North just after 8:30 p.m. on May 15, 2021, on a ShotSpotter activation. Police learned of surveillance video, which showed Ottoson-Smith and two other kids on a trampoline between the shooter and the intended targets.

According to the criminal complaint, the vehicle the shooters were in was registered to Robinson and his cellphone placed him in the area at the time of the shooting. In February of 2022, investigators were told by a witness that Robinson admitted to being at the scene of the shooting.

Robinson’s next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Ottoson-Smith was one of three young children who were shot in Minneapolis in the spring of 2021. Ten-year-old Ladavionne Garrett, Jr., 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.