Good Guy with a Gun #191: East Moline, IL

He was charged with murder. Detectives kept digging. Then vindication: “His story was vastly different than what we initially thought.” | Original incident: May 4, 2024

These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is significantly updated from the calendar version.

Jarquez D. Robertson, 21, was visiting an apartment complex in Illinois. He was from Huntsville, Alabama — a long way from home.

Just before midnight, something happened in the parking lot. We don’t know what, but 22-year-old Michael J. Robinson was shot multiple times. A nurse named Rachael Downing, who happened to be nearby, saw a body fall and heard screaming. She ran over and started CPR — coordinating bystanders, directing chest compressions, holding pressure on the wounds — until EMS arrived. Robinson was transported to the hospital, where he died.

Robertson fled. (Don’t do that. It looks really bad.) East Moline investigators identified him quickly, put out a nationwide alert, and contacted Huntsville PD. Less than ten hours after the shooting, Huntsville police arrested him near his home without incident. He was charged with first-degree murder and held without bond.

Rock Island County State’s Attorney Dora Villarreal said that “Initial information made it sound like it was very much an open and shut case.”

Then the investigation continued.

Detectives interviewed additional witnesses. They analyzed cell phone data from before and after the shooting. They confirmed that Robertson legally possessed and carried the weapon. The “victim,” Robinson, also had a gun. They interviewed Robertson and his girlfriend, both of whom said the shooting was in self-defense.

“I did review the case, I asked them to do a little more follow up,” Villarreal said. “Because that’s always concerning when you hear ‘hey, wait a second, we’re not really sure.’”

The more they dug, the more concerned they became about the charges they’d brought.

“His story was vastly different than what we initially thought,” Villarreal said.

Six weeks after the shooting, East Moline detectives went to Villarreal with their concerns. Villarreal reviewed the evidence and filed a motion to dismiss all charges. Her office determined that the evidence “strongly suggests that Robertson was acting in self-defense of his life and the lives of others when he shot at Robinson.”

On June 20, the case was dismissed, and fines and fees were vacated. Robertson went home to Alabama.

Let’s hear it for the State’s attorney and the detectives.

“This is a huge testament of what incredible law enforcement we have, and that they have so much integrity, and that they believe in the justice system,” Villarreal said. “I want the community to know that that’s the kind of criminal justice system we have working here every day, that we do want to do the right thing, that we do want to be transparent.”

And let’s also remember that sometimes that scary mug shot on your TV just might really be a good guy with a gun.

Sources

Most of the coverage can be categorized as one of the following:

• Initial coverage of the shooting.

• Robertson identified, arrested in Alabama, extradited, charged with murder.

• Robertson vindicated.

There are a few instances of extra coverage.

KWOC 6: Arrest, vindication, key interview with State’s Attorney Villarreal.

The Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus (no, I’m not yanking your chain, that’s the name), which appears to be the same publisher as Quad City Times: Arrest, appearance in court (paywalled), nurse helps Robinson (paywalled), vindication.

WQAD 8: Arrest, vindication.

WKRG 5: Arrest.

AL.com: Arrest.

WHNT/WHBF: Arrest.

WVIK/local NPR: Arrest.

WOC News Talk 1420 AM: Arrest. But I’ve seen tweets longer than their article.

Our QC News (includes a bunch of stations or affiliates): Arrest, nurse helps Robinson, vindication.

There may be more out there. I didn’t note anything from 2A sources, probably because they move quickly after a shooting, and the vindication happened six weeks later. But I could be wrong, so if you know of 2A coverage, comment and I’ll give credit where it’s due.