A horrific drive-by shooting killed a 9-year-old boy, identified as Gregory "Doodle" Robinson Jr., at his home in Sumter County in South Carolina on Monday,
The boy was found shot in the forehead, according to Sheriff Anthony Dennis. The shooting occurred at a residence on Ambrose Road, where deputies responding to the scene reported hearing rapid gunfire and found numerous shell casings in the roadway, as well as bullet holes in the door, wall, and windows.
Robinson was discovered unresponsive but still breathing in his bed and was immediately transported to Prisma Health Richland for treatment. The boy passed away from his injuries at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday. His parents say he dreamed of playing in the NFL.
It appeared that the shooters used semi-automatic weapons, according to Deputy Chief Hampton Gardner. The Sumter County Coroner's Office, in conjunction with the sheriff's office, the Sumter Police Department, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, is investigating the death.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, stating, "We will do whatever it takes to find these criminals," during a meeting announcing the formation of a task force to track down Gregory's killers.
Investigators are relentlessly working to crack the case, vowing, "Our investigators have been working non-stop and every tool available will be utilized to solve this crime. ... I firmly believe that we will find those responsible for Gregory's murder and bring them to justice."
The police department is offering a hefty $10,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits behind Gregory's homicide. In a heartfelt tribute, Dillon Park was awash with balloons and prayers at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in memory of Robinson. A family friend has set up a GoFundMe for donations.
In an emotional interview, WIS spoke to Bryan Brockington, the child's mentor and football coach, who shared how Gregory was affectionately known as 'Doodle' both on and off the gridiron.
Spending days on end training him, Brockington confessed to WIS that the loss felt like a punch to the gut. Brockington implored: "Just remember him, like everything about him, his smile his talk his voice his size, his heart his spirit, just keep it with you because I'm not going to let it die down."
Brockington added, "He wasn't here long enough to have anything bad to be remembered about him so you should remember everything about him, there's nothing you shouldn't want to remember, every moment was great."
Brockington described Doodle as the youngest child in his family. Despite being small in age and size, Doodle showed great potential as a fantastic football player.
"He is always going to be Doodle, he's going to ask what he's going to ask you, say what he wants to say and pay attention to everything in, and he was very smart. Like small, but he had a very big heart, he was one of the smallest and strongest players I've had in a long time," Brockington said.
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