In the cool autumn night of October 26, 2015, the life of 16-year-old Black / African American male Tiyvone Taylor Mills was tragically cut short in Las Vegas, Nevada. The events unfolded around 9:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Portofino Villas apartment complex, located in the 6300 block of Lake Mead Boulevard, near Torrey Pines Drive. What began as a physical altercation between Tiyvone and another individual escalated into a fatal encounter.
In the moments that followed the fight, Tiyvone was shot multiple times, with the coroner later confirming that a gunshot wound to the back was the cause of death. He was found lying in the parking lot by police who were responding to multiple reports of gunfire in the area.
The investigation into the homicide led Las Vegas Metro Police to identify a person of interest. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex and a nearby community played a crucial role, capturing the initial fight and the suspect fleeing the scene with a companion. The primary suspect was described as a Black male, estimated to be between 16 and 20 years old.
The search for Tiyvone's killer extended beyond Nevada. In January 2016, authorities located and arrested 24-year-old Jimmy Robinson Jr. in Richmond, California. Following his arrest, Robinson was extradited to Las Vegas to face charges of murder with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. Though he initially pleaded not guilty, Robinson later accepted a plea deal. In November 2016, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. As a result, he was sentenced to 8 to 20 years in prison for his role in Tiyvone's death. The court proceedings brought a measure of legal closure, but for Tiyvone's family, the pain was immeasurable and compounded by further tragedy. Nine months after her son's death, Tiyvone's mother, Felicia Taylor, took her own life at his gravesite, a devastating testament to the profound grief and loss her family endured.
