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Former Hip-Hop Exec and Orthodox Jew Fatally Shot in Robbery
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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A hip-hop record executive who converted to Orthodox Judaism was fatally shot during a liquor store robbery in Midwood last night. 34-year-old Yosef Robinson, originally from Jamaica, was shot in the chest and arm at the Kosher wine shop MB Vineyards in Flatbush when he tried to intervene and stop the robbery, which occurred at about 9:30 p.m., CBS 2 reports. Robinson worked as a clerk at the store, and was shot trying to stop the gunman from stealing his girlfriend's bracelet.
"We spoke briefly, you know, and he went inside the store to continue his duties," a friend tells NY1. "I went to Target to get a few things and came back to this." Another local resident says, "He was of a Jamaican background and he became Jewish. He was very well known in the neighborhood since I guess he had that mixture of the background. He was a very friendly person. Wherever you went, I guess, he spoke, you know, to everyone as a friend." And Rabbi Ezra Max tells the Post, "He was a good guy. Rock solid."
Robinson planned to release a book in December about his spiritual journey, called Jamaican Hip Hopper Turned Orthodox Jew, and his website bio says, "After years of illegal street activities, run-ins with the law, and a short-lived career in the music industry, Yoseph Robinson is facing the most complex transition of his life as a black man embracing Judaism." CBS 2 reports that after last night's shooting, over 100 people from the Orthodox and Hasidic neighborhood gathered outside the liquor store to pay their respects. Police have made no arrests.
Tagged
robbery
shooting
yosef robinson
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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