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Detroit man charged with targeting LGBTQ community in shootings

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A Detroit man killed three people and wounded two others because they were LGBTQ, prosecutors said Friday.

Devon Robinson, 18, was charged on Thursday with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and five weapons charges for a May 25 shooting, according to the Wayne County prosecutor’s office. He was set to be arraigned in Court Friday morning.

{mosads}”The alleged actions of this defendant are disturbing on so many levels, but the fact that this happened during Pride Month adds salt into the wound. We must remain ever vigilant in our fight to eradicate hate in Wayne County and beyond,” prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. 

The victims included 21-year-old Alunte Davis, 20-year-old Paris Cameron and 20-year-old Timothy Blancher, all from Detroit. Davis and Blancher identified as gay men and Cameron identified as a transgender woman, according to the prosecutor’s office. The two others were also shot, but they survived.

Dasha Robinson remembered her brother, Davis, in an interview with WJBK-TV, as reported by The Associated Press.

“Alunte was silly. He was full of life, he was helpful,” Robinson said.

The case will be handled by the Fair Michigan Justice Project, a partnership between the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the nonprofit Fair Michigan Foundation Inc. The project helps law enforcement solve crimes against LGBTQ people.

“This case illustrates the mortal danger faced by members of Detroit’s LGBTQ community, including transgender women of color,” Fair Michigan President Alanna Maguire said in a statement. “The LGBTQ community knows that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Detroit Police Department stand ready to aggressively prosecute these brutal crimes.”

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