22-year-old Rhode Island man sentenced to decades in state prison for shooting police officer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to state prison after pleading to shooting a police officer.

According to Attorney General Peter Neronha, at a hearing on Wednesday, 22-year-old Tyrone Robinson of Providence entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of assault with intent to commit murder, one count of discharge of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, one count of intent to commit murder, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license.

At the hearing, before Superior Court Justice Robert Krause, the Court sentenced the defendant to 60 years, with 40 to serve at the ACI and a twenty-year, non-parolable, suspended sentence and 60 years of probation.

“The men and women in law enforcement in Providence and beyond work hard to ensure the safety of Rhode Islanders every day, knowing that significant risk to their own safety is never far away,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This case vividly illustrates the scope of that risk, and the danger of illegal firearms in the hands of those all too willing to use them, regardless of consequence. The defendant’s intent here was clear: to kill or seriously injure a police officer, with civilians nearby, and in broad daylight. His conduct deserves the harshest of penalties and merits the decades of imprisonment imposed by Court today. I remain enormously grateful to the men and women of the Providence Police Department for their work in this case and in so many others.”

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that during the afternoon of August 9, 2019, the defendant opened fire at two Providence police officers in a laundromat parking lot on Admiral Street, striking one officer in his body armor vest.

According to Neronha, at approximately 3:30 p.m. that afternoon, officers Matthew McGloin and Jonathan Smith drove into the laundromat parking lot in their patrol vehicle where they encountered the defendant sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked silver Saturn sedan. As the officers exited their vehicle, the defendant simultaneously exited his sedan and began shooting at the officers, striking Officer McGloin in the torso where the bullet became lodged in his body armor vest. Officer Smith returned fire during the incident.

After firing six shots, the defendant ran away in the direction of Douglas Avenue. Both officers pursued the defendant until he ran into his residence on Douglas Ave. After approximately 15 minutes, the defendant exited and surrendered to police.

Investigators recovered a Sig Sauer .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun that the defendant discarded as he fled from the pursuing officers. Investigators also executed a warrant at the defendant’s home where they recovered a Mossberg .22LR semiautomatic rifle, along with dozens of rounds of various calibers of ammunition.

Officer McGloin escaped serious injury despite having been struck in the torso of his body armor vest by a .45 caliber bullet.

“The Providence Police Department has a proud history of service to the residents and visitors to our city,” said Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr. “Despite the inherent risks that accompany the role of a police officer in this ever-changing world, the men and women of this department remain vigilant in their duty to protect and serve our community and ensure public safety to best of their ability each and every day. I commend the members of the PPD for the incredible work that was conducted throughout this investigation and thank the Office of the Attorney General for their continued partnership.”

Detective David Perez and Detective Sergeant Terrence Green of the Providence Police Department and Special Assistant Attorneys General John Perrotta and Alison Bittl of the Office of the Attorney General led the investigation and prosecution of the case.