A man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the death of Trinity Ottoson-Smith. The young girl was killed when a stray bullet struck her as she bounced on a trampoline at a friend’s birthday party.
Hennepin County, Minnesota, released the news that on March 6 Dpree Shareef Robinson, 20, pled guilty. If convicted of the child’s murder committed in May of 2021, he will serve 37 and a half years in prison.
Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County Attorney, said in a press release that Trinity had been playing with her friends and enjoying the outdoor activities when she was shot. Even though Robinson’s actions shocked the city, Moriarty is relieved that the Trinity family and the community can finally rest in peace thanks to his admission of guilt.
The criminal complaint states that while Trinity was playing on a trampoline in her friend’s backyard, Robinson opened fire on the house from an adjacent alleyway, striking Trinity. According to the police, Robinson and his victims were in a gang and Trinity and her friends were caught in the crossfire.
Robinson had been making threats toward a member of the opposing gang who lived in the home where the girl was killed.
The shooter claims he was “confused” after the incident and therefore did not turn himself in because he did not know if he was responsible for the death of the young girl. Police were able to apprehend him after they recognized his car from surveillance footage. The man was traced to the scene of the shooting thanks to his cell phone records.
Ambulances took Trinity to North Memorial Health Hospital, where she stayed for two weeks before she finally passed away from her wounds.