On a summer day in Minneapolis, the life of 27-year-old Leneesha Helen Columbus, a Black/African American female, was tragically cut short. On July 5, 2020, near the intersection of East 37th Street and Elliot Avenue, a pregnant Columbus was shot while inside a vehicle. First responders arrived to find people attempting to save her life. She was rushed to a local hospital where, in a bittersweet moment, doctors were able to deliver her baby girl.
Shortly after the birth, Leneesha succumbed to a gunshot wound to her upper torso.
The newborn, named Leneesha LaDell Columbus, was born approximately three months premature and weighed less than two pounds. For a month, the infant fought for her life, enduring numerous health complications including hypotension, neonatal seizures, and respiratory distress. Tragically, on August 5, 2020, exactly one month after her mother's death, four-week-old Leneesha LaDell Columbus also passed away. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office declared the infant's death a homicide, with the cause attributed to complications from her premature birth due to the trauma her mother experienced.
The suspect in this devastating double tragedy was identified as Zachary Victor Robinson Jr., who was the boyfriend of Leneesha Helen Columbus and the father of her newborn daughter. Witnesses reported seeing the couple arguing before Columbus attempted to drive away and Robinson fired multiple shots at her SUV. Following the shooting, Robinson fled the state but was later apprehended in Illinois by law enforcement.
Robinson was initially charged with the murder of Leneesha Helen Columbus, second-degree assault, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Following the death of the infant, an additional charge of second-degree murder was added. Robinson, who has a lengthy and violent criminal history, was also facing charges for his involvement in another fatal shooting that occurred just weeks prior.
