An 19-year-old man from Detroit has been charged with killing two gay man and a transgender woman, in an attack prosecutors say was motivated by their LGBT+ identity.
Devon Robinson is facing three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of Alunte Davis, 21, Paris Cameron, 20, and Timothy Blancher, 20.
Davis and Blancher were gay men. Cameron was a trans woman.
Prosecutors say that two more people were injured in the May 25 shooting, but survived their injuries.
The May 25 incident happened inside a house in eastern Detroit in a place called Devonshire.
“The alleged actions of this defendant are disturbing on so many levels, but the fact that this happened during Pride Month adds salt into the wound. We must remain ever vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond,” said Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office.”
“The allegation is that … the homicide victims were targeted and killed because they were part of the LGBTQ community,” Miller added.
Along with the triple murder charges, Robinson faces two counts of assault with intent to murder and five counts of the use of a firearm in connection with a crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Jaimie Powell Horowitz of the Fair Michigan Foundation, an organisation that helps Michigan police and prosecutors solve serious crimes against the LGBT+ community.
“This case illustrates the mortal danger faced by members of Detroit’s LGBTQ community, including transgender women of color,” Fair Michigan president Alanna Maguire said in a statement.
“The LGBTQ community knows that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detroit Police Department stand ready to aggressively prosecute these brutal crimes.” Maguire said.
The Detroit police launched an investigation into the triple murders on May 30, and Robinson was arrested on Wednesday (June 5).
He is to remain in prison while the case is ongoing.
