Family of man killed by DC police declines release of body camera footage

WASHINGTON — After viewing body camera footage, the family of the man shot and killed by DC Police on Sunday are declining the public release of the video of his death.

Justin, 26, Robinson was killed on Sept. 1 just after 5:30 a.m., when police responded to a call of a minor crash with an injury in the drive-thru of a McDonald's in Southeast D.C. 

Police Chief Pamela Smith said the responding officers found Robinson unconscious in his vehicle with a gun in his lap. Smith said an officer had pointed a gun into the vehicle through an open window. Upon waking up, police claim Robinson grabbed the officer's gun. In response, Smith said, two officers shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members told WUSA9 they wanted to see the footage in the days after his death. In a letter to Brooke Pinto, chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, Deputy Mayor Lindsay Appiah wrote that the family did not want the video to be released after viewing it.

Also in the letter, Appiah identified the two officers who shot Robinson. They are officers Vasco Mateus and Bryan Gilchrist from the 7th District.

Mateus and Gilchrist are on administrative leave as is department policy. The Internal Affairs Bureau and U.S. Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.