CLEVELAND – Cleveland-based Tonya Robertson doesn’t believe her son, 21-year-old Melvin Robertson deserves to be shot dead by an off-duty Cleveland police officer on August 2nd.
According to police, Melvin Robertson was shot dead by off duty officer Robert Taylor, who worked for security at the Giant Eagle on West 117 Street.
Taylor told investigators that Robertson had a gun pointed at him in the parking lot after an argument that started in the store.
Tonya Robertson admitted her son had a gun in his pocket but said she believed her son when he told her he was trying to escape from the scene and posed no threat to the off duty officer when he got in the hip was shot.
“I’m extremely upset, I want to look this man in the eye and ask him how he shot such a 21-year-old kid,” said Robertson. “He wasn’t a threat to you at all. Everything. He ran away and you shot my son like a dog. No, he didn’t point a gun at this man, no, he didn’t. If he wanted to stop him, he would have.” shoot him in the leg. “
Robertson family attorney Terry Gilbert, with Friedman, Gilbert, and Gerhardstein told News 5 that he will work in the coming weeks to collect video and witness evidence to uncover the truth. Gilbert told News 5 that he was disappointed that an independent agency like the Bureau of Criminal Investigation was not called in to determine if Taylor did the right thing.
“There’s a lot we don’t know,” said Gilbert. “But you know, when you’ve been doing this job for many, many years, you feel like something doesn’t sound right. We need to try to put pressure on the city to make sure they do a thorough investigation, and better yet, to hand it over to another agency independently. You need to remember that this was in a parking lot at Giant Eagle in the middle of the day and there were many witnesses. “
Cleveland Police found a gun at the scene, leading to Robertson’s August 11th charge of obtaining stolen property and carrying a gun with a disability.
Cleveland Police Union President Jeff Follmer told News 5 that he disagreed with the Robertson family’s account of what happened and said Melvin Robertson had ample opportunity to get rid of his gun prior to the confrontation in the parking lot. Follmer said Taylor told investigators Robertson tried to pick up the gun when he shot him.
Even so, Tonya Roberston said she would prove the truth in court as her son is grievously injured and the investigation into the case continues.
“The officer shot him from behind and the bullet went into his hip as he went,” said Robertson. “But by the grace of God my son is still here today because I pray for my children, I pray for my babies.”
CONNECTED: Man injured in gunfight with officer in a grocery store in the West Side of Cleveland
