DEWEY BEACH, Del.– Authorities have released the name of a 21-year-old Milford man who died following an early Saturday morning shooting involving a Dewey Beach police officer.
Delaware State Police identified the victim as Rodney K. Robinson II.
Delaware State Police said that just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, officers with the Dewey Beach Police Department were notified by employees of the Starboard Restaurant, located at 2009 Coastal Highway, of a man leaving the restaurant with a gun. Officers attempted to contact the man on the sidewalk in front of the business, but he reportedly ran southbound on Coastal Highway. Officers gave chase for about three blocks but lost sight of him. A search was conducted in the area by officers, but they were unsuccessful in finding the man.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m., the Dewey Beach Police Department 9-1-1 Center received a call from an employee of Starboard saying the man had returned to the business and was inside a restricted employee-only area. Two Dewey Beach police officers responded and found the man inside the outdoor tent area of the business. When officers attempted to contact the man, he fled from the business northbound on Coastal Highway before running westbound on Saulsbury Street and into a nearby alleyway. Authorities said that at that time, the pursuing officers found the man, and a single gunshot was fired by a 1.5-year veteran officer with the Dewey Beach Police Department using the departmental issued firearm.
Police said that after the man was shot, he fled the area on foot. Responding officers found the man, later identified as Robinson, unconscious behind a commercial building in the 2100 block of Coastal Highway with a gunshot wound to the upper torso. Also reportedly found at the scene was a handgun.
Upon officers finding Robinson's body, they immediately began performing life-saving measures and called for EMS to respond. He was transported by ambulance to Beebe Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The Division of Forensic Science will be conducting an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Dewey Beach Police Officers involved in this incident were not injured. The officer involved in the shooting is currently placed on standard administrative leave with pay and benefits pending the outcome of this investigation.
The details surrounding the shooting are still in the early stages of the investigation. Once information becomes available, it will be released. At the request of the Dewey Beach Police Department, this active and ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit and Delaware Department of Justice, Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust.
Delaware State Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has video surveillance to please contact Sgt. Stephen Yeich with the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit by calling 302-741-2703. Information may also be provided by sending a Private Facebook Message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at www.delawarecrimestoppers.com