DENVER — A suspect has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot a 52-year-old woman in the head in late March in Denver.
The woman survived her injuries.
The suspect, Jaycin Diamante Robinson, was 17 at the time of the crime, which was two days before his 18th birthday. He was charged as an adult with two counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury, one count of aggravated motor vehicle theft and five counts of possessing a weapon as a previous juvenile offender, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a shooting around 7 a.m. on March 27, according to a probable cause statement. A woman was trying to enter a building near E. 56th Avenue and N. Dallas Street when Robinson allegedly pointed a gun at her and fired before running away.
When first responders arrived, they found the woman with a gunshot wound on the left side of her head. She was transported to a hospital.
During the subsequent investigation, police watched surveillance footage that showed the suspect driving up in a silver Honda CR-V with temporary tags, stopping at the intersection facing eastbound, getting out of the car and running across the street. The footage shows that around the same time, the woman pulled up to the building on the north side, got out of her car and started walking toward the employee door, according to the probable cause statement.
According to the video, the suspect walked up behind the victim, confronted her and then fired two shots, striking the woman once. The suspect then fled eastbound.
Several witnesses heard the gunshots and saw the suspect running away, according to the probable cause statement. They also told police the suspect dropped the gun as he ran, turned around to pick up, and kept running. Witnesses provided a description of the suspect.
Police found the suspect vehicle abandoned where he had stopped at the intersection. It was reported stolen out of Colorado Springs on March 22. The car was towed as evidence and the following day, an empty bag of chips and cup in the car were tested for fingerprint analysis by the Denver Police Crime Lab, according to the probable cause statement.
Officers also found a black jacket hidden behind a trash can by the front doors. Surveillance footage confirmed the suspect removed his jacket and stuffed it in that spot before walking away.
At the scene, police found two 9mm shell casings and a fired bullet near where the victim was found.
Police were also able to interview the victim at the hospital. She said she was approached by the suspect and he told her to give him all of her things. When she said she didn't have anything to give, he grabbed her backpack and shot her, according to the probable cause statement. She said she remembered screaming and falling to the ground.
The DPD issued a Metro Denver Crime Stoppers bulletin the same day as the shooting with a surveillance photo of the suspect.
On March 29, two days after the shooting, the crime lab identified the fingerprints from the items in the car as belonging to Jaycin Diamante Robinson. When police looked at his photo, he appeared to match the description of the suspect.
Police also found that he had an active felony arrest warrant for escape from custody. Later that day, a parole officer with the Colorado Division of Youth Services identified the photo from the Crime Stoppers bulletin as Robinson.
Robinson was arrested on March 30.
