Detroit Man Charged with Murdering 3 LGBT People
Prosecutors say a Detroit man killed three people last month because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Detroit Free Press reported Devon Robinson, 19, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors allege Robinson fatally shot Alunte Davis, 21, Timothy Blancher, 20, and Paris Cameron, 20, on May 25 inside a home on Detroit’s east side.
The Detroit Free Press reported Davis and Blancher were gay men and Cameron was a transgender woman. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office said Robinson shot two other people who survived.
“The allegation is that … the homicide victims were targeted and killed because they were part of the LGBTQ community,” Maria Miller, a spokesperson for Worthy’s office, told the Detroit Free Press.
Robinson has also been charged with two counts of assault with the intent to murder and additional charges.
Michigan’s hate crimes law includes sexual orientation, but not gender identity.
“We are horrified to learn that the three victims of a shooting in Detrioit last month were allegedly targeted because they were LGBTQ,” said the Human Rights Campaign in a tweet. “We must address this epidemic of hate violence that disproportionately targets black people and LGBTQ people in this country.”