LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington recorded its first homicide in almost 2 months when 19-year-old Ja'Zarion Robinson was shot and killed Tuesday night on East 7th Street.
For activists working to end gun violence, this latest shooting is a devastating blow to the community.
Covering Kentucky
Community mourns teen victim as Lexington records first homicide in 2 months
Police say Robinson was shot and killed just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. Officers found the 19-year-old in a home and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Devine Carama, director of One Lexington, knew Robinson personally and was on scene with the family after the tragedy.
"Obviously, it’s heartbreaking because we knew the young man. It's sad when anyone loses their life, but when it's someone that's been in your home, been in your car, been to your summer camp, you got to know his family, it hits different," Carama said.
Carama says Robinson was talented and had the support of his family. He says the young man was working to overcome challenges.
"You just looked at this kid and thought, ‘Man, once that switch goes off and he figures it out, it's up, and to see that he didn't get that chance is heartbreaking," Carama said.
City records show Robinson was the 5th teenager killed in a shooting this year and the 17th homicide victim in 2025 so far.
"Sometimes we see Facebook, see the news, and like 'Man, another shooting,' and we move on with our lives, but when you lose a child, when you've been affected by gun violence, you don't just move on. That trauma is residual, it lasts for a long time," Carama said.
Tragedies like this fuel outreach programs like One Lexington and the Voyage Movement. Just hours before Tuesday night's shooting, a group of young men cleaned the streets and helped the elderly a few blocks away.
In the pendulum of positive news and negative news, Carama urges the community to highlight the good.
"We gotta amplify these young kids that are doing the right things and trying to do better. That's the stuff we need to share and get behind," Carama said.
