A Hayward man was convicted of second-degree murder and assault on Wednesday for fatally shooting a former UC Berkeley senior and assaulting two other men outside an Oakland restaurant more than two years ago.
Dwayne Robinson, now 22, will serve at least 40 years for fatally shooting 22-year-old UC Berkeley senior Vincent Choi and assaulting Choi’s two friends Michael Voong and John Lu outside of a Korean restaurant on Telegraph Avenue on March 28, 2009.
An Alameda County Superior Court jury found Robinson guilty on three counts of assault with a firearm and murder of the second degree on Aug. 3. Robinson was a 19-year-old student at Chabot College at the time of the shooting, said Alameda County deputy district attorney and prosecutor for the case Tim Wagstaffe.
According to Wagstaffe, Choi’s six-person group and the defendant’s 10-person group began to verbally argue inside the restaurant — Dan Sung Sa — after one group questioned the manner in which the other group was looking at them. Wagstaffe said that the two groups then went outside with the thought of there being a fight.
“It sounded like, I thought, kind of typical people with a couple drinks thinking there might be a fight,” Wagstaffe said.
According to Robinson’s attorney David Kelvin, Voong and Lu said they did not do anything to provoke Robinson.
Robinson told Choi and his friends to go back inside, Wagstaffe said, after which the group refused to comply. He proceeded to back away down the block and pull out a 9-millimeter handgun, telling the group to “go inside — last chance,” according to Wagstaffe.
Wagstaffe added that Robinson loaded his gun and fired seven shots, hitting Choi with two shots to the abdomen and the chest, killing him immediately. He also hit Voong and Lu in the legs.
Robinson shot at and missed another man, Quy Ngo, after which he got into a car with an unidentified friend who drove him back in front of the bar, where Robinson fired off five more shots, not hitting anyone, Wagstaffe said.
According to Kelvin, Robinson testified to having fired his gun in self-defense after somebody in the other group pulled a gun on him. However, according to Wagstaffe, there was no evidence found that substantiated his story, and all of the victims were found to be unarmed.
Kelvin explained that he was not pleased with the verdict, as he maintains that Robinson acted in self-defense.
“(Robinson had) no criminal record,” Kelvin said. “I think he was protecting himself. I don’t know why he would have just shot those people. He’s never shot anybody before. It was self-defense.”
The Oakland Police Department interviewed witnesses and used Crime Stoppers — a program that allows people to provide anonymous information about criminal activity — to get anonymous tips, and the police department was able to get a cellphone picture of the defendant in the restaurant, Wagstaffe said.
“The jury did the right thing,” Wagstaffe added. “I think that … the appropriate verdict was reached.”
Robinson is currently being held in the Santa Rita Jail and will be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2011, at the Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Courthouse.
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” after one group questioned the manner in which the other group was looking at them”
I wonder what group was doing the ‘questioning.” I really wonder which group.
Self-defense my ass. A group of Asian American students from Berkeley going to Korean restaurant vs. a bunch of black thugs looking for trouble. How many blacks have killed Asian this year? I seriously doubt any Asian have killed any blacks.
Who the hell believe these Asian students from berkeley would be carrying a gun to a Korean restaurant!
Most overrated and most expensive public university in USA?
University of California (UC) picks the pockets of Californians,
foreign, out-of-state students clean. UC shouldn’t come to the Governor or
public for support. (The author has 35 years’ consulting experience, has taught
at UC Berkeley (Cal)
where he observed the culture & way senior management work)
University of California Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau ($500,000 salary)
has forgotten that he is a public servant, steward of the public money, not
overseer of his own fiefdom. These are not isolated examples: recruits (uses
California tax $) out of state $50,600 tuition students that displace qualified
Californians from Cal. public university education; spends $7,000,000 + for
consultants to do his & many vice chancellors jobs (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same 0 cost); pays
ex Michigan governor $300,000 for lectures; in procuring a $3,000,000 consulting firm he failed to receive
proposals from other firms; Latino enrollment drops while out of state
jumps 2010 (M Krupnick Contra Costa Times); ranked # 70 USA best universities
Forbes; tuition to Return on Investment drops below top 10; QS academic ranking
falls below top 10; only 50 attend Birgeneau all employees meeting; visits down
20%; absence Cal. senior management control NCAA places basketball program on
probation.
It’s all shameful. There is no justification for violations by
a steward of the public trust. Absolutely none.
Birgeneau’s irregularities continue. Governor Brown, UC
Board of Regents Chair Lansing must do a better job of vigorously enforcing stringent
oversight over Chancellor Birgeneau who uses the campus as his fiefdom.
that’s not even relevant to the article in question. Also stop pasting a poorly formatted post from a retarded la raza blog somewhere because it’s really hard to read that dog puke.
Transparency: facts trump your dog puke DairyandBold. University of California (UC) tuition, ee increases do not face fiscal reality. Democrat, Republican Californians face mortgage defaults, 12% unemployment, pay reductions, loss of unemployment benefits. No layoff or wage reductions for UC Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, Faculty during greatest recession of modern times.
There is no good reason to raise tuition, fees when
wage concessions are available. UC wages must reflect California’s
ability to pay, not what others are paid. If wages better elsewhere,
chancellors, vice chancellors, tenured, non tenured faculty, UCOP apply for the positions. If wages determine commitment to UC Berkeley, leave for better paying position. The sky above the 10 campuses will not fall.
Pitch in UCBerkeley (with deeds not words) for all California Democrats, Republicans!
No furloughs. UCOP 18% reduction salaries & $50
million cut.
Chancellors’ Vice-Chancellors’, 18% cut. Tenured faculty 15% trim.
Non-Tenured, 10% reduction. Academic Senate, Council remove 100% costs
salaries.
It is especially galling to continue to generously compensate chancellors, vice-chancellors, faculty while Californians are making
financial sacrifices and faculty, chancellor, vice-chancellor turnover is one
of the lowest of public universities.
The message that President Yudof, UC Board of Regent
Chair Lansing, UC Berkeley Birgeneau are sending is that they have more concern for generously paid chancellors, faculty. The few at the top need to get a grip on economic reality and fairness.
The California Legislature needs a Bill to oversee
higher education salaries, tuition.
If you’re going to continue posting this garbage, at least shorten it and tailor it to the content of the article you’re commenting on.
I love you too courageous? When others do not agree your thinking call them a name. Is that what you teach/learned at UC!!!!
UC Berkeley ranked #70 Forbes is the most expensive public university in the USA.
Californians applying to UC Berkeley. Cal Chancellor Birgeneau displaces qualified for public university education at Cal Californians with $50,600 |Foreign and out of state students. Cal Chancellor makes Californians applying to UC Berkeley second class
Chancellor Birgeneau’s leadership resulted in latino enrollment falling and out of state jumping 2010-11 (M Krupnick Contra Costa Times)
$500,000 salary UC Berkeley Chancellor needs to be retired from UC, immediately.
DailyCal never discloses the race of the perpetrators of various crimes it reports since 95% of them are black. The simple matter of this case is a scumbag black shot unarmed students over something as silly as “giving them a look.” Obviously black-on-black violence is never enough for these bloodthirsty people so they must also take it out on other racial groups as well. I’m sure the black community leaders of bay area will maintain that this was “self defense” and the “white men” are keeping poor Mr. Robinson down by putting him into prison while the poor family of the murdered student copes with the loss and the society suffers by losing another college graduate. Riots happened and shops were burned down when Oscar Grant got shot by the police but blacks will not shed a tear for the loss of young Vincent. Shame on you DailyCal and shame on the whole Bay area community, the most racially convoluted and hypocritical group in the United States.
To add, this Dwayne Robinson deserves what the Chinese do to drug smugglers; a bullet through his thick cranium and his “family” (if this man has any, besides many a illicit children he probably fathered with his ghetto girlfriends over the years) to be charged for the price of bullets that’s to shatter his brains and the stake for which he is to be tied to.
but Hold on, how do you knowthat he is black?
If the name “Dwayne Robinson” wasn’t a dead giveaway to you ..
wow ¡¡¡¡¡¡ what an argument, so convincing
HAHA but for serious, check the Hayward crime register in the sfgate article someone linked to it and it identifies the race of the men .. also available in court records online which is public information, this guy is blacker than the darkest night
this article doesn’t specify the race of the offenderhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/08/05/BAKJ1KJIJJ.DTL
Did the shooter have a license to carry a concealed handgun? It’s a pretty feeble defense to say “He’s never shot anybody before.” That implies he was prepared to.