Man who opened fire outside liquor store gets federal prison
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — A man who opened fire on another customer at a Kalamazoo-area liquor store last year will serve years in a federal prison.
Julius Robinson was sentenced to eight years, two months behind bars and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The shooting happened Feb. 23, 2023, in the parking lot of the Bronco Liquor Store at W. KL Avenue and Drake Road in Oshtemo Township. The following week, authorities released surveillance video showing what happened: In it, two shooters were seen following a victim out of the store, there was an exchange of words and the two men drew their guns and fired several shots. No one was hit.
Video shows shooting outside Kalamazoo-area liquor store
In a Friday release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the shooting followed a brief dispute inside the liquor store. It says the victim was annoyed by how long Robinson took at the register, the two argued and Robinson said, “I’ll kill you in here, bro.” Ultimately, Robinson fired four shots in the parking lot, prosecutors say.
“The other customer did not pose a threat in any way prior to Robinson firing his gun,” the release said.
Prosecutors say Robinson was using a .40-caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine that could hold 30 bullets. They say an FBI task force ultimately found that gun, still loaded, in a drawer in his bedroom when they searched Robinson’s home.
“It is a miracle no one was hurt,” U.S. District Court Judge Paul Maloney said as he sentenced Robinson, according to the release. “Mr. Robinson represents a very, very significant risk to the law abiding public and the community needs to be protected for a long time.”
The task force used evidence at the scene and the surveillance video to identify Robinson as their suspect, prosecutors said. They added that when he phoned his girlfriend from jail, he told her to lie for him.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the judge made Robinson’s sentence longer because he was trying to kill the other man and because he told his girlfriend to lie.
Authorities said ballistics showed Robinson had also fired the same gun two weeks previous in the same liquor store parking lot. He now has four gun-related convictions.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten held news conferences around West Michigan Thursday to announce the return of the Safe Summer campaign, which aims to crack down on gun violence by prosecuting cases if they include a federal offense and if the gun has been used in previous crimes. During one of the news conferences, the Grand Rapids police chief said that his department has seen up to 12 crimes involving the same illegally possessed gun.
Federal prosecutors cracking down on gun violence this summer
“In communities that experience gun violence, only a few individuals are responsible for driving that violence,” Totten said in a statement Friday. ” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan is laser-focused on using our resources – and the lengthy federal sentences we often bring to the table – to incapacitate active shooters like Robinson.”
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