No charges expected for Detroit coach who shot, killed teen robber

70-year-old Detroit basketball coach shoots 2 teen robbers during struggle, kills 1; charges not expected

DETROIT – Assistant basketball coach Ernest Robinson was walking two of the players on his girls team to their cars Friday night when the attackers came at them outside Detroit's Martin Luther King High School.

Two boys, ages 16 and 15, claimed they had a gun. If they thought the 70-year-old coach would be an easy target, they guessed wrong.

Robinson struggled with the teens and then pulled out his legal, license firearm and shot them. Michael Scott, 16, was killed by the gunfire. His 15-year-old accomplice was injured.

"It's just still unreal to me. I can't believe this happened," said Scott's older brother, Calvin Stingall.

Scott's older brother may be surprised by what happened outside the Detroit school but his younger brother already had been busted for the armed robbery of a Jet's Pizza. He was awaiting trial.

Robinson has been released from police custody. No charges have been filed.

Top-drawer defense attorney and former prosecutor Todd Flood said he can't see how Robinson could face charges.

"It's one of those situations, if people come to rob you at gun point and all of a sudden you're sitting there and you defend yourself or others, you have the legal right to do it. There is no crime," Flood said.


-- Michael Scott


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