MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a vehicle that they believe was involved in the 2021 shooting death of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the vehicle is a maroon, 2014 Ford Fusion with Minnesota license plate 720XRP. The BCA says the license plates could have possibly been removed and the vehicle repainted since the May 15 shooting.
Nineteen-year-old D'Pree Robinson was charged in Feb. 2022 with one count of intentional second-degree homicide after Ottoson-Smith was shot and killed while playing on a trampoline in the backyard of her north Minneapolis home. Prosecutors say Robinson was attempting a "drive-by shooting" when a stray bullet hit her.
Ottoson-Smith was taken to North Memorial Hospital where she died from her injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, video footage from the area shows the "intended targets" on a side porch of the house, "with the trampoline between them and the shooter."
Following the shooting, one of the "intended targets" can be seen running after the car Robinson was driving, which they believed to be a 2014 Ford Fusion, and firing three shots.
Further, investigators say Robinson bought the car just days before the shooting, and asked the seller not to say anything about the purchase. It was then discovered that Robinson searched the internet for ways to repaint the car.
Search warrants executed on Robinson's social media accounts show he was an "active shooter" for the Black Disciples Criminal Street Gang and made references of shooting "opps," which is street slang for "opposition" or "rival gangs," according to the complaint.
Investigators said they got a break in the case when they spoke to a witness who told them that Robinson admitted to being at the house when the shooting happened.
Police are urging anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of the vehicle are urged to call the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 877-996-6222 or bca.tips@state.mn.us, or call Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at 800-222-8477.
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