Vancouver police and the family of Robinson Russ are hoping to find new witnesses in the stabbing death of the 37-year-old father on Easter Sunday.
Russ was killed April 4 around 10 p.m. after having had Easter dinner with extended family. He was standing on West Hastings Street between Carrall and Abbott streets when he was stabbed and collapsed according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
Initially, people thought he'd collapsed from a drug overdose when they called 9-1-1, but when paramedics arrived they found his stab wound.
Police believe there were dozens of people around when the stabbing happened and are looking to talk to anyone who was nearby.
"There are people who know what happened, who can help us solve this case, and help Robinson’s family get some closure,” says Sgt. Steve Addison in a press release. “We need those people to come forward and tell us what they know.”
Russ' family members are also asking for witnesses to come forward. His father, Russell Davis, recently flew to Vancouver from Haida Gwaii (where Russ grew up) to participate in the call-out for help.
“I’m reaching out to everybody and asking for help so at least I can get some peace,” says Davis, who often travelled to Vancouver to spend time with his son. “Every time I’d come down here he’d always come to my room and we’d go for a meal. I still have one text message from him, telling me that he loved me. I saved it on my phone and every time I think of him I look at it.”
Russ moved to Vancouver just over a decade ago to work in construction. He left behind two young sons and a stepdaughter.
“Robinson had a family that loved him very much, and his death has left three young children without their father,” says Addison. “We owe it to them to solve this case, and we’re appealing for anyone who knows what happened to do the right thing.”
Anyone who has has any tips is asked to call the VPD's homicide unit at 604-717-2500 or can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
