Johnnie Robinson
- This article is about the teenager killed in 1963. For the Ramblers' drummer, see Johnny Robinson (drummer).
Johnny Robinson (born c. 1947 - died September 15, 1963 in Birmingham) was a teenaged victim of a police shooting during the violent aftermath of the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in September 1963.
According to newspaper reports, police were responding to a 4:00 PM call of "racial disturbance" in which several black youths were throwing rocks at passing cars. Robinson, who lived at 622 28th Street North, had apparently thrown rocks at a car painted with slogans such as "Negro, Go Back to Africa." When police arrived they found their own cars targeted and the boys fled.
Officer Jack Parker of the Birmingham Police Department testified that he had fired a warning shot from his police-issue shotgun into the ground to disperse the crowd. Earlier reports had it that the officer fired his warning shot in the air, shot at Robinson in self-defense as he threw rocks while he ran away, or that he took aim as the boy fled down an alley, ignoring commands to halt.
The coroner determined that Robinson died from shotgun pellets that entered from the back. Abraham Woods officiated at his funeral service, saying "Not only are we here for the funeral of Johnnie Robinson, but I think we can say we are here for the funeral of Birmingham."1.
The shooting investigation was sent to a Grand Jury, but no indictment was made. The case was reopened by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in November 2009.
Notes
- Gordon-1963
References
- Gordon, Robert (September 25, 1963) "Birmingham pays homage to slain teen-age boys." Birmingham World
- Gordon, Robert K. (November 24, 2009) "FBI opens 3 civil rights cold cases." Birmingham News