High school student slain in Willingboro was an innocent victim, police say
WILLINGBORO - A high school student slain here in April was the innocent victim of deadly violence, authorities say.
Yahsinn Robinson, 18, was fatally shot outside his family's home on the night of April 22, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
The Willingboro High School senior was allegedly targeted around 11:30 p.m. by two Pemberton Township men feuding with other residents of Robinson's neighborhood, the prosecutor's office said Wednesday.
"Robinson, who was returning home from his part-time job when killed, was not involved in the conflict," it said in a statement.
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Two other Willingboro residents — a 24-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy — were shot a week later as a result of the same dispute, the prosecutor's office alleged. They also were described as innocent victims.
The woman and the toddler were wounded when someone shot into a home on the 100 block of Baldwin Lane during the early-morning hours of April 29. That attack occurred just a few blocks from Robinson's home on the 100 block of Barrington Lane.
A Pemberton Township man, 19-year-old Sylas Young, is charged in connection with both attacks.
Another Pemberton Township man, 24-year-old Kavon Carter, also faces charges tied to Robinson's shooting.
In a Facebook post after Robinson's murder, a family member described the victim as "a gentle giant and kind to everyone who crossed his path."
Kalimah Perry said her cousin was an "honor roll student, chess master (and) musician."
"He had just started working his first job and he was so happy," she wrote.
Robinson's mother, Saleenah Bell, posted about her son last month, noting Nov. 22 would mark seven months since his death.
"He is missed," she said in a Facebook post. "Whisper a little prayer for us in remembrance of my Yahsinn."
Young and Carter were allegedly involved "in a long-running dispute with certain residents of the Buckingham Park section of Willingboro," according to the prosecutor's office.
It alleged Robinson's slaying "stemmed from an escalation of that friction."
It said the Baldwin Lane incident remains under investigation.
Young is accused of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses in connection with Robinson's death. Carter is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and promoting organized street crime.
Both are accused of gang criminality.
Young is charged with four counts of aggravated assault and weapons offenses in connection with the Baldwin Lane incident.
The charges are only allegations. Neither man has been convicted in the case.
They were being held Thursday in Burlington County Jail.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: Willingboro NJ: Shooting victim, a teen, was innocent victim
