STOCKTON, CA – Friends, family and neighbors of 19-year-old Rocco Robinson plan to hold a press conference Tuesday evening at Stockton City Hall following public comments at the City Council meeting to denounce what they describe as the “violent and terrible” police shooting that killed Robinson on Sept. 9 on Doray Court in Stockton.
According to a community press release, Robinson had gathered with friends and family for a barbecue around 6 p.m. on Doray Court, a residential cul-de-sac where “children were playing in the street” and “folks were out in front of their house.”
Witnesses said Stockton police drove up and stopped in front of a duplex, where Robinson was in a car unloading supplies. The release states that officers “violently and aggressively grabbed Rocco.” One minor witness said, “Anyone would have been scared. I was scared.”
The statement further alleges that Robinson ran to the front of the car before one of the officers yelled, “We’re going to shoot you bitch,” after which “shots rang out.”
Another witness said, “I heard him empty his clip.” The family and neighbors claim none of the witnesses saw a gun and that officers “didn’t bother to interview any of the witnesses.”
A Stockton Police Department press release dated Sept. 10 said officers conducted a “proactive vehicle checkout” in the area of Doray Court and Pixie Drive. According to the department, officers discovered a 19-year-old male in a double-parked vehicle, who “stood up and attempted to leave the vehicle, ignoring the officers’ direct orders.”
Police said the individual “remained noncompliant, aggressively pulling away and ultimately breaking free.”
The department said the suspect dropped a firearm while fleeing and that a “series of events led to an officer-involved shooting, in which the suspect sustained multiple gunshot wounds.” The suspect, identified as Robinson, was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital.
Police said two officers were involved in the incident, both of whom had their body-worn cameras activated.
The department said investigators from the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations, the California Department of Justice, and the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting a multi-agency review.
The family’s press release accuses officers of drawing guns on children and neighbors, handcuffing a minor and keeping him in a police car for hours without access to food, water, or a bathroom, while denying his mother access. They said the minor was also denied access to an attorney.
Organizers of Tuesday’s press conference said they plan to file an Internal Affairs complaint against the Stockton Police Department, as well as tort claims alleging “police violence and aggression” and violations of their constitutional rights.
They are demanding that the city release all records related to the incident under Penal Code section 832.7, including reports, interview notes, photographs, and body-worn camera footage, and that the officers involved be terminated.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
