A suspect has been arrested for allegedly fatally shooting a North Carolina man while he was streaming on Facebook Live.
Wingate police confirmed to People that Douglas Cleveland Colson turned himself in Tuesday morning after police issued a warrant against him for first-degree murder. Though Colson was interviewed Monday, Wingate police unearthed additional information that led them to identify him as Prentis Robinson’s killer, according to The Charlotte Observer.
The Wingate Police Department in conjunction with the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and the Union County Sheriff’…
Posted by Wingate Police Department on Tuesday, February 27, 2018
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Robinson, 55, was talking about his birthday celebration plans on Facebook Live when a man is caught on camera approaching him. Robinson can be heard saying, “You on Live” before panning over to the man, who is seen holding a long gun.
READ More: Man films his own murder on Facebook Live [WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT]
Seconds later, the man is seen and heard firing four shots before the face-up camera catches him running away. Police found Robinson dead in the street a short time later.
Family members told local reporters that Robinson would use the streaming service to expose neighborhood drug dealers and people who would harass him. Though police haven’t confirmed whether Colson is a drug dealer, People reported that authorities had warned Robinson about potential retaliation.
However, records obtained by The Observer indicated that Colson was found guilty in 2013 of selling cocaine. Public records also indicated that both Colson and Robinson’s criminal histories went back decades, with Robinson spending time in prison in the late 90s for a felony cocaine charge.
Minutes before the shooting, Wingate Police Chief Donnie Gay was reportedly featured on Robinson’s live stream, as the would-be victim went to the station to report a stolen cellphone.
“Bring his phone back so he can get on with his way today,” Gay is allegedly heard saying to Robinson’s viewers.
Gay also confirmed to local reporters that Robinson would use Facebook Live to expose alleged drug dealers. The police chief claimed that he thought Robinson would be beaten up not shot.
In a statement obtained by CBS, Facebook said they removed the disturbing footage from Robinson’s page.
Because we cannot have known that the victim would have wanted this horrific act to be live streamed on social media, we have removed the original video,” the spokesperson said. “We will apply a warning screen to future uploads of the video intended to raise awareness or condemn this tragedy, and limit accessibility to people over the age of 18. We will remove instances of videos from Facebook that are shared supporting or encouraging such acts of violence.
Colson remains jailed without bail.
***WARNING: The video below contains graphic, disturbing content. Please use discretion.***
[Featured Image: Douglas Cleveland Colson/Union County Sheriff’s Office; Prentis Robinson/Facebook video screengrab]
