On Thursday, May 10, Keeven Robinson got involved in a tussle with four Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, police officers — all of whom were white — following a car chase that began because Robinson was a suspect in a narcotics investigation.
Following the scuffle, Robinson was arrested in his backyard and taken into custody. He later died in a Jefferson Parish hospital. A coroner has ruled his death a homicide, noting there is evidence of pressure to the victim's neck.
During a Monday press conference, Jefferson Parish coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich confirmed the 22-year-old's death classification was based on preliminary autopsy results, which indicated traumatic neck injuries "consistent with compressional asphyxia," reported the Associated Press.
Update from Sheriff Lopinto and JP Coroner Dr. Cvitanovich on the investigation into the death of Keeven Robinson. https://t.co/7SVP86RBpz— JP Sheriff's Office (@JeffParishSO) May 14, 2018
“We’re here to support all sides,” said Gaylor Spiller of the Jefferson Parish chapter of the NAACP, who also attended the news conference. “I just want the truth.”
“This initial medical classification does not take into account whether the homicide was an intentional act, accidental act, or an act incidental to a law enforcement action,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto noted in a statement to The Huffington Post. Lopinto also confirmed FBI's civil rights task force is investigating the incident.
pic.twitter.com/5NzqtUI7Mk— JP Sheriff's Office (@JeffParishSO) May 14, 2018
“There’s no doubt they used force,” said Lopinto, who declined to identify the involved officers at this time. “It’s whether the force was excessive.”
According to Lopinto, Robinson was unarmed when he was detained. He further noted Robinson had heroin on his person, and a gun was found in his car.
More than 100 people — including Robinson's mother, Kiwanda Robinson, — took to the streets on Monday night to honor Robinson near the scene of his death in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.
Video footage has yet to surface. Unfortunately, no video of the arrest may exist.
“Undercover narcotics agents would not have a body camera strapped to their chests,” noted Lopinto. Further, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office doesn't use body cameras.
However, the NAACP and other advocates for Robinson say they won't let that stop them.
“I like the fact that Sheriff Lopinto stepped up to the plate, and he’s doing his part,” Spiller told WDSU. “He knows that the NAACP will be on his trail.”
