Ohio Judge Rebukes ‘Remorseless’ 20-Year-Old Who Fatally Shot Teen He Met on Social Media While Riding Scooters
COLUMBUS, OHIO — A Franklin County judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a 20-year-old man who fatally shot a teen he met on social media, calling him “a threat to the community” and “completely without remorse” during sentencing this week.
Travon Robinson, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter with a gun specification in the 2022 killing of 17-year-old Broderick “BJ” Harper, who was riding electric scooters with Robinson and others near the Ohio Statehouse when he was gunned down.
Scooter Ride Turns Deadly
Surveillance video showed four young people riding scooters around downtown Columbus on May 29, 2022, before stopping just outside the Statehouse. Moments later, Harper fell backward after being shot in the chest.
Witnesses told investigators that Robinson had allegedly tried to rob Harper during the encounter. Two others fled the scene, while Robinson sped off on a scooter, according to police reports and court records.
Harper was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Judge: ‘You Don’t Care If You Kill’
During sentencing, Judge Julie Lynch told Robinson she saw no hint of remorse for the killing.
“You don’t care if you kill, you don’t care if you go to prison,” the judge said. “You put a gun in someone’s hand and you are no longer a child. You’re a threat.”
Robinson, now 20, reportedly sat in silence throughout the hearing, refusing to apologize or speak to the victim’s family.
Prosecutor Chris Clark described Robinson as having a long juvenile record, including arrests for stolen cars, guns, and robbery. “When you factor in that and his lack of accountability,” Clark told the court, “he is a continuing danger to others.”
Family Speaks Out: ‘No Forgiveness’
Harper’s parents also addressed the court, expressing heartbreak and anger that their son’s killer showed no emotion.
“The sorry, a tear — anything like that wouldn’t have mattered,” said Broderick Harper Sr. “We all knew there wasn’t going to be any remorse at all.”
Harper’s mother, Erica Coit, previously said her last text to her son warned him to be careful before meeting up with friends that night — a message she never got to follow up on.
Conviction and Sentencing
Robinson was initially charged with murder and weapons offenses, but later reached a plea deal to involuntary manslaughter. Judge Lynch sentenced him to 14 to 19 years in prison, with credit for two years already served.
The case underscores the rising concern over social media-driven teen violence and weapon access among minors in Columbus.
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