‘Serial criminal shot pregnant wife dead after argument near George Floyd memorial’
Zachary Robinson is accused of fatally shooting Laneesha Robinson in the chest close to the Minneapolis memorial to Floyd
A convicted criminal shot his heavily-pregnant wife dead after they argued near the George Floyd memorial, police say. Zachary Robinson, 27, was charged with the July 5 murder of Leneesha Columbus, 27, on Monday night, and is due to appear in court Tuesday.
Robinson is also said to have shot a local peacekeeper who confronted him about shooting Columbus at the Minneapolis memorial to Floyd, who was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25. That unidentified peacekeeper was shot in the foot, and survived his injuries.
Columbus, a mother of three, was six months pregnant when she was fatally shot in the chest, with doctors able to save her daughter. But doctors say the infant remains critically ill, and that the girl will almost certainly die if medical treatment is withdrawn.
Charging documents seen by the Minneapolis Star Tribune explained: ‘The baby victim suffers from hypotension, neonatal seizures, neonatal jaundice, had a successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and continues to suffer from respiratory distress in critical condition…
‘Withdrawal of medical treatment would result in organ failure and/or fatal deterioration.’
Robinson has been charged with second-degree murder, and first-degree assault on an unborn child. He has previous convictions spanning 12 years including assault, and was also charged over a June 14 riot in Minneapolis that saw a man shot in the head.
A GoFundMe page set up by Columbus’s sister Markisha to support her surviving children said: ‘On July 5th my sister, Leneesha “Nee Nee” Columbus’ life was wrongfully and tragically taken from us by the father of her child. She was rushed to the hospital where they performed an emergency c-section on her. She was only 5 months pregnant. The baby survived and is in critical condition.
‘My sister leaves behind three children. Leneesha was a loving mother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. She brought light and love wherever she went. She was the heart of the neighborhood. She was our sister and she meant the world to us.’
Unarmed security guard Floyd, 46, died after Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes, 46 seconds after arresting him for allegedly trying to pass a fake $20 bill in a grocery store.
Video footage of Floyd crying ‘I can’t breathe’ during his final moments sparked protests and riots across the United States, with Chauvin and three other cops who attended the arrest fired from their jobs and charged over the murder. The spot where Floyd died has since become a shrine to the late father of two.
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