In the summer of 1979, a promising young man's life was cut short in the quiet, affluent village of Pelham Manor, just north of the Bronx. Emery Robinson, an eighteen-year-old, was shot and killed by a local police officer on July 19th of that year. The incident began when Officer John B. Robbins stopped Robinson under the suspicion that the car he was driving was stolen.
What transpired next would leave a lasting mark on the community and raise questions about justice and race.
According to police and newspaper reports from the time, an altercation occurred during which Robinson broke free from the officer and fled. As Robinson ran across a church parking lot, Officer Robbins fired a warning shot, followed by a second, fatal shot that struck the young man in the back. The officer would later claim in court that he saw a shiny object in Robinson's hand, which he feared was a weapon. That object turned out to be nothing more than the keys to the car.
The case proceeded to trial, where the official narrative was challenged. A police ballistics expert provided testimony that nitrite particles were found on the back of Emery Robinson's shirt, evidence consistent with being shot from behind while fleeing. Despite this, Officer John B. Robbins was ultimately acquitted of the charges against him, a conclusion that left many in the community with a lingering sense of injustice. The death of Emery Robinson, a young man described as having a cherubic face and an easy laugh, remains a tragic chapter in the history of Pelham Manor.
