Zakiy W. Robertson, a 19-year-old Black/African American male, was shot and killed on the evening of May 21, 2025, near a Citgo gas station on Milwaukee’s north side. The shooting unfolded shortly after 8:00 p.m. along North Avenue, between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Vel R. Phillips Avenue. Robertson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to save him.
Only a few hours earlier, Robertson had spoken with his mother.
Family members later said he called her at about 5:00 p.m. and told her he was heading home, which was only a few blocks from where he would later be killed. Nothing about the conversation seemed unusual, and his family had no indication that he was in immediate danger. When he failed to return home, relatives were left searching for answers before learning through social media that he had been shot.
As detectives reconstructed the shooting, surveillance cameras from around the gas station and nearby businesses became an important part of the investigation. According to the criminal complaint, video showed Robertson leaving the gas station and approaching a Ford Escape. Investigators said Robertson extended his arm in a manner that appeared consistent with pointing or firing a gun toward the vehicle. The passenger inside the Escape could be seen ducking down. Robertson then turned and ran from the area.
Instead of leaving, the Ford Escape allegedly followed Robertson as he fled. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Robertson continuing to run before eventually falling to the ground after being shot. A Milwaukee police lieutenant who was conducting police business nearby heard the gunfire and was alerted that someone had been shot. When the lieutenant went outside, Robertson was found lying on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency lifesaving measures were unsuccessful.
Investigators recovered several pieces of firearm evidence from the area. Near Robertson, police found an unloaded. 40-caliber Glock handgun. The gun reportedly had no magazine inserted and no cartridge in the chamber when officers recovered it. Two spent. 40-caliber cartridge casings were found on the pavement in the Citgo parking lot. Investigators also recovered five spent 9mm casings a short distance away, arranged generally along the direction in which the confrontation had moved.
Police also found a vehicle in the gas station area that had been struck by gunfire. Investigators documented three bullet strikes to its passenger side and a deflated rear passenger tire. A witness later came to the police station and provided officers with a handgun magazine. According to the complaint, the witness said he had been at the gas station and saw what appeared to be two men shooting at one another. The witness then saw one of the men run away while a white vehicle followed him. Police determined that the magazine provided by the witness fit the. 40-caliber Glock recovered near Robertson.
The investigation eventually focused on 18-year-old Terrion Smith of Milwaukee. Police traced the Ford Escape seen in surveillance footage to its owner, who told investigators that she had loaned the SUV to Smith. According to the criminal complaint, Smith returned the vehicle with bullet damage and apologized to its owner for the damage, although he did not initially explain what had happened. The owner later identified Smith to investigators by both name and photograph.
When detectives questioned Smith, prosecutors said he admitted that he had been the front-seat passenger of the Ford Escape and admitted that he was the person who shot Robertson. Smith reportedly told detectives that Robertson was still shooting toward the vehicle when he returned fire. Investigators disputed that description of the confrontation. Prosecutors alleged that Smith’s account did not match the surveillance footage or the locations where the different cartridge casings were recovered.
The evidence described in the complaint suggested that while gunfire may initially have been exchanged near the gas station, Robertson had begun running away when the Ford Escape pursued him. Prosecutors relied heavily on that sequence in charging Smith, arguing that the available video and physical evidence were inconsistent with the claim that Robertson continued firing at Smith throughout the encounter.
Smith was arrested and charged with first-degree reckless homicide in connection with Robertson’s death. He made an initial appearance in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on June 23, 2025, where cash bond was set at $100,000. He was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 2. Publicly indexed news reporting located for this synopsis documents the homicide charge and initial court proceedings, but does not establish a later trial verdict or conviction, so Smith should be considered accused unless and until a court determines guilt.
Robertson’s death devastated a family that remembered him for far more than the circumstances surrounding his final moments. Relatives described him as warmhearted, funny and someone who brought joy to the people around him. He enjoyed art and singing and had been a student at Assata High School. He hoped to continue his education at Milwaukee Area Technical College and pursue a career as a barber, and family members said he had also talked about designing clothing.
Robertson had been involved with mentors and community programs in Milwaukee, including people connected with Running Rebels and the Credible Messengers Program. Those who knew him through the program described a young man who still had plans for his future and who had people actively trying to help him succeed. His aunt remembered him as a role model to younger relatives and someone deeply connected to his siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins.
In the days after the shooting, Robertson’s family struggled with the suddenness of his death and initially had no idea why he had been targeted or what had happened at the gas station. What began as a homicide investigation involving unknown suspects eventually developed into a case built around surveillance footage, recovered firearms evidence, witness information and Smith’s own statements to detectives. The criminal charge against Smith marked a significant development for Robertson’s family, but it could not restore the future they said he had been working toward before his life ended on North Avenue that May night.
