Murder charge: Gang member's gunfire that killed 9-year-old was meant for three people on porch

The gunfire that killed a 9-year-old girl last spring as she jumped on a friend's trampoline behind a north Minneapolis home was meant for three people on a porch who then fired back, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday morning.

D'Pree Shareef Robinson, 19, was arrested Wednesday at his North Side home by state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents and charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the May 15, 2021, shooting of Trinity Ottoson-Smith in the 2200 block of N. Ilion Avenue.

Trinity's killing was one of several instances of young victims being hit by unintended gunfire last year on the North Side and the first to result in an arrest.

Robinson, who is alleged in the criminal complaint to be a street-gang member, appeared in court late Thursday afternoon but was ordered back on Friday to allow him more time to arrange for an attorney.

"This was a drive-by shooting that was captured on surveillance video," the criminal complaint read. "Video showed that the victim and two other juveniles who were on the trampoline were directly between the shoot[er] and the intended targets, who appeared to be three males on the side porch of the residence, dressed in dark clothing."

After the shots were fired, "one of the three on the porch could be observed [on the video] chasing after the suspect vehicle on foot and appeared to return fire three times."

The combination of the surveillance video and license-plate reader technology tied the car used in the drive-by shooting to Robinson, who bought the vehicle three days earlier, the complaint continued.

County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement, "The sadness that comes with this arrest and charge is the reminder that an innocent 9-year-old child was shot and killed last year while playing on her trampoline. ... I can definitively say that we will do our part in the criminal justice system and prosecute the defendant to the fullest extent of the law."

According to the complaint:

On social media, Robinson boasted of being "an active shooter" for the Black Disciples and posted among other things, "I know how to shoot and I know how to fight." He frequently posted photos of firearms, and referred to himself as "GDK" or "Gangster Disciple Killer," a reference to a rival gang.

Three months before the shooting, Robinson was having threatening communication on social media with a male identified in the complaint only as W.J., who lived at the home on Ilion. Their words were "aggressive and indicative of the kind that result in shootings between rival gang members," the complaint read.

Robinson would taunt rivals, and say they were afraid to come out and confront him. He issued one of his dares to W.J.

W.J.'s sister and Robinson had an acrimonious breakup that led to a hostile back and forth between the two three days before the shooting, which was detected by ShotSpotter technology shortly after 8:30 p.m. as Trinity and her friends were gathered for a birthday party.

Immediately after the gunfire, Robinson did three internet searches on how to get a car repainted, then stopped using his cellphone. The car he was in while "committing the drive-by shooting appears to have vanished," despite an extensive nationwide search, the complaint disclosed.

A police search of Robinson's social media turned up a Facebook conversation he had in June with A.H., a new girlfriend. She was upset over a physical altercation the two had that led to him breaking her cellphone.

Eight times in that conversation, she called Robinson "a child killer" and added, "I hope you die for killin that lil girl," the complaint quoted her as saying.

Robinson responded with "Idgaf," short for him not caring what happened.

Earlier this month, a witness told investigators that Robinson said he was in a shootout with gang rivals, and wasn't sure who shot Trinity, the witness was quoted in the complaint as saying.

"He told me he was in a ... clap out," the witness said, referring to the shootout. "He said the next day, he seen that a girl had, um, been shot in the head. But he said ... he basically was telling me in a way he was confused. He didn't know if it was them, or it could have been him."

Since the shooting, both W.J. and the homeowner at the address where Trinity was killed have been deceptive with law enforcement, according to the complaint, which alleges that W.J. is part of the "MCD" or "Money Chasing Demons" street gang, rivals to the Black Disciples.

"Evidence at the scene of the victim's murder appears to have been tampered with," the complaint said, adding that a friend of W.J.'s who was present at the time of Trinity's killing was later arrested in Eagan with a handgun, which matched casings found in the alley where Trinity was shot, indicating that he or someone he knew fired back at Robinson.

Minneapolis had at least five instances of children 10 years old or younger being hit by gunfire last spring and summer on the North Side. Robinson's arrest was the first apprehension in any of the shootings, police said.

Ladavionne Garrett Jr. was 10 years old when he was shot April 30 while riding in a vehicle with his parents in the 3400 block of N. Morgan Avenue. A bullet pierced the trunk and struck Ladavionne, officials said. The youngster survived and continues to recover.

Aniya Allen, 6, died May 19, two days after being shot while riding in her mother's car. The two had just left a McDonald's and were driving through the intersection at N. 36th and Penn avenues when a gun battle broke out and Aniya was shot. Aniya was the granddaughter of K.G. Wilson, a longtime anti-violence activist.

A record $180,000 reward was offered last summer for information leading to any arrests in the shootings of Trinity, Aniya and Ladavionne.

The reward, offered by Spotlight on Crime and Crime Stoppers, coincided with a billboard campaign seeking information in connection with the three shootings, which have come to symbolize the indiscriminate gun violence that has long been plaguing parts of the city.

Tips are being received by CrimeStoppers at crimestoppersmn.org or the BCA at 1-877-996-6222 or at bca.tips@state.mn.us.