On a Friday evening in Detroit, 17-year-old Reginald Rose Robinson’s life was tragically cut short. On February 24, 2017, the Garden City High School student was walking out of a store on Meyers Street with a friend when a dark-colored SUV approached them. What began as a casual outing turned fatal in an instant, as shots were fired from the vehicle, striking Reginald.
His friend who was with him recalled hearing a loud thunderous sound and then realized Reginald had been shot in the head; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The senseless act of violence stemmed from a trivial encounter moments earlier. Investigators believe that as Reginald and his friend walked past a woman, a comment was made about her body by someone nearby. Though reports suggest Reginald and his friend were not the ones who made the comment, they became the targets of the woman's anger. This heated exchange led to the woman getting into an SUV, which then followed the teenagers.
Within days, two women were arrested in connection with the fatal drive-by shooting. The suspects were identified as Sharnea Diamond McCoy, who was 21 at the time, and Erica Italy Osburn, then 25. Authorities alleged that McCoy was the driver of the SUV, while Osburn fired the shots from the passenger seat that killed Reginald. Both women were from Detroit and were initially charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm violations.
During the court proceedings, more details of the tragic event came to light. The investigation confirmed that the shooting was a result of the women's reaction to the comment about their appearance, coupled with Reginald laughing at the remark. In court, Reginald's mother, Latrice Foster, expressed her profound grief and addressed her son's killers directly, noting their lack of remorse. Ultimately, Sharnea Diamond McCoy and Erica Italy Osburn pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony firearm violations. McCoy, the driver, was sentenced to 16 to 40 years in prison, while Osburn, the shooter, received a sentence of 27 to 50 years in prison for her role in the death of Reginald Rose Robinson.
