In the early morning hours of February 3, 2020, a dispute over a stolen cell phone tragically ended the life of 21-year-old Hispanic/Latino male Christian G. Salazar in Spokane, Washington. The events that led to the fatal encounter began at a downtown bar called Crave, where Christian J. Robinson, then 27, and his friends met Salazar and a group of women.
After the women left, Robinson and his friends discovered a cell phone was missing and used a tracking application to trace it to a McDonald's on North Market Street.
Just after 1:00 a.m., Robinson arrived at the McDonald's and used his truck to block the car Salazar was in, along with two of the women from the bar. Robinson and one of his friends got out and confronted the occupants of the vehicle. While his friend approached the driver's side where Salazar was sitting, Robinson went to the passenger side. An argument ensued over the missing phone, with Robinson demanding its return. A witness from Robinson's group said that Robinson's friend opened Salazar's door and threatened him. Within moments, Robinson extended a handgun across the front passenger and fired a single shot, striking Salazar in the head.
A woman in the car with Salazar immediately called 911 at approximately 1:15 a.m., reporting that her friend had been shot and the shooter was still at the scene. Police arrived within four minutes to find Salazar in the car with a gunshot wound. First responders attempted to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers detained several people, including Robinson, who was found nearby after initially leaving. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Christian Robinson faced two trials for the killing of Salazar. The first trial, in November 2021, ended with a hung jury, resulting in a mistrial. During the trials, Robinson’s defense argued he acted in self-defense, claiming Salazar had lunged at his friend and that he had only intended to strike Salazar with the gun when it accidentally discharged. The prosecution countered that Robinson was the aggressor who intentionally pointed the gun and fired. In May 2022, a second jury found Robinson guilty of second-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison, which included a five-year enhancement for the use of a firearm.
