Man indicted for allegedly shooting teenager because of victim’s sexual orientation

A federal grand jury in Kansas City has indicted a 25-year-old man on accusations that he tried to kill a teenager because of the victim’s sexual orientation, prosecutors said.

Malachi Robinson, of Kansas City, was charged in a two-count indictment with hate crime and firearm violations for allegedly shooting the 16-year-old victim on May 29, 2019. A news release did not disclose where the shooting occurred.

Robinson allegedly shot the victim with a handgun, causing “significant” injuries, because of the victim’s sexual orientation, according to the Department of Justice.

If convicted, Robinson would face up to life in prison on the hate crime charge alone.

Attorneys with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are assisting in the prosecution.

Days after the shooting, Jackson County prosecutors charged Robinson with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. In court records, prosecutors said the victim was shot nine times. They called it “an incredibly violent offense.”

“Of those nine shots, three went into the victim’s chest, three went into his right arm, and one struck his finger, causing it to nearly detach,” an assistant prosecuting attorney wrote in court documents.

Robinson confessed in a phone call shortly after the shooting, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

The Jackson County case is ongoing.