"We all loved him because he didn’t do anything but love others," said Jennifer Goodson, a friend of Robertson's. Later on, people walked across the street where a podium and chairs were set up. Several people shared some of their fondest memories of Robertson, while others simply talked about the person he was. Many spoke on the love Robertson had for the community. "Royce was pure love," said Goodson. -https://kesq.com/
Why did
Royce Robertson
"pillar of the Joshua Tree Community," prolific entrepreneur, tireless contributor to local culture, and overall beloved/respected human being - decide to throw it all away in a moment of suicidal insanity?NOTE: The person Royce Robertson allegedly interacted with/threatened before fleeing to the Country Club where he was shot by officers, may be referred to as "the 911 caller" or "the victim" or "the other driver" at various points in this blog. I just wanted to make this clear in order to head off any confusion where these terms are used interchangeably. The same person is being referenced when these terms are used.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY VIDEO PRESENTATION RELEASED 4.1.21
My first blog on this topic drew upon publicly available information from various localized media sources, including a detailed video statement from Sheriff Bianco. Riverside County Sheriff's department has since released a video presentation, also narrated by Sheriff Bianco. It includes exerpts from a 911 caller as well as police body cam footage. We will now compare this newer information with the material covered in my first blog on this topic, which I obviously encourage everyone to read.
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"...she received a text message that morning from her brother advising he was heading to her home in Rancho Mirage after running an errand at a bank." - Palm Springs Desert Sun
The above quote is all we know regarding where Mr Robertson was going at 7AM in the morning about 50 miles from home, driving what appeared to be a recently purchased high end Mercedes with Arizona dealer plates [which we were last told could not be traced to a specific dealer]. We don't know what errand he needed to run at the bank [which would not have been open yet], we don't know why he was going to his sister's house, and we don't know where he was coming from. According to the Sheriff's department, he did end up at a bank - but the only errand he seemed to be running was threatening a random stranger in the parking lot!
I attempted to obtain official documents directly from the Riverside County Sheriff records department in order to get clarification on some of these details, but apparently this is all still under investigation as I type. So it seems they will not be releasing any additional information until this process is concluded. Still, I think it is useful to take a "snap shot" of where things are in real time, as this approach can reveal changes in narratives [or solidify them] as more details are slowly rolled out. I was however given names of 2 officers allegedly involved in the shooting, and they are Deputy Michael Doyle and Deputy Garret Judge.
[Image taken from the video, depicting how Mr Robertson's car allegedly blocked the "victim's" car, just before threatening him with a gun - which we now know was an "air pistol" or "BB Gun."]
The police body-cam footage seems to have been released to the public on April 1st, 2021 [interesting date] via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkU1WOze6fs. It was edited and included in a 5+ minute feature produced by the Riverside County Sheriff's department. If you watch the video, keep in mind that the narrator did not personally witness any of this [outside the body cam footage] as far as we know. Also keep in mind - everything that happened before police responded to the 911 call is entirely based upon the account of 1 unknown person we know absolutely nothing about. If there were any witnesses to the alleged threats Mr Robertson made to the unknown 911 caller, they have not been revealed.
“On Monday February 15th, 2021 at 7:25 am, the Riverside County Sheriff’s dept received a call regarding an assault with a deadly weapon in the area of Simon drive and hwy 111 in the City of La Quinta. Dispatch received information that an adult male driving a black Mercedes had pointed a handgun and made threatening statements toward the driver of another vehicle,…Investigators later learned that the suspect identified as Royce Javan Robertson stopped his car on the roadway in front of the victim’s car. Robertson exited his car while holding a gun and walked over to the victim who was still seated in his car. Robertson pointed his gun at the victim and yelled “do you want to die today?” After a short confrontation, Robertson got back into his car and drove away." - from the Riverside County Sheriff's Dept video presentation
In the first blog, we noted that Sheriff Bianco provided 2 slightly different versions of this story to the public. The above narrative corresponds more or less with his "version #1." But let's review a direct quote from "version #2" [my remarks in brackets]:
"the ORIGINAL [first] encounter was near the intersection of Simon and 111 [edit] in La Quinta. [edit]The victim of that exchange ended up pulling into a parking lot to get away from that other driver, but he [Robertson] FOLLOWED HIM INTO A PARKING LOT and then that was where the [2nd] exchange happened…[edit] I don’t wanna call it a road rage but there was something, there were words exchanged between the 2 drivers, yes. [edit] The first exchange [outside the parking lot] he went back to the victim’s vehicle, had the handgun in his hand, beat on the window with the handgun, yelled at him, asked him if he wanted to die"
Now notice that the newly released video presentation does not acknowledge the initial encounter between the 2 men which caused the "victim" to flee into a parking lot. If there was already a "victim" at that point, it means Mr Robertson already threatened or harmed the other driver in some way. If the victim had to flee into a parking lot to get away from him, it means the incident in the parking lot was the 2nd of 2 exchanges between the 2 men. Version #2 also says that "there were words exchanged between the 2 drivers." If that is true, why don't we know what the "victim" said to Mr Robertson during their 2 encounters? This information could give more insight into the circumstances surrounding the initial incident between the 2 drivers - which has not been clearly explained yet.
I think it is important to note that all of the details the public are getting from the media and the Sheriff's department with regard to this incident seem to be primarily concerned with demonstrating that officers were justified in shooting Mr Robertson. While it's understandable that the Sheriff department's primary concern would be demonstrating to the public that the use of deadly force was justified, it's the media's job to probe further, and help the public understand and process the circumstances leading up to the event. But it seems there are no journalists of integrity interested in doing this. I find that sad.
If we aren't going to put any effort into trying to understand what DROVE Mr Robertson to this absurdly out of character action, we can't begin to know where to start in preventing this type of thing from happening again. By all accounts, he was not just "normal," he was full of love for other people. So what this incident has taught us so far is that it is perfectly normal for ANY person to just blow up at any time and start pointing their gun at random people for no reason! Do we WANT to understand why people do these things? Or do we just want to throw our hands up and accept this as "the new normal?"
DO YOU WANNA DIE TODAY?
This is what Mr Robertson allegedly said to the unknown 911 caller, who Sheriff Bianco quotes repeatedly - as if he witnessed it. And yet according to all accounts, NOBODY heard Mr Robertson say this except the unknown 911 caller. So when you see this quote in the news headlines, just remember that as far as we know, only 1 person heard Mr Robertson say this. A person we know nothing about and who's identity has not been revealed to the public. That's called "an anonymous source" with absolutely no credentials. Doesn't mean the person is lying, but how many other stories have we shrugged off because they came from an anonymous source with no known credentials? The fact that police investigators believed and repeated what the 911 caller claimed, does not constitute proof of any kind. If we are going to claim we are "fact based" and "evidence based" in our assumptions, we must apply it in all circumstances, not just where we "feel like" applying it! It is often the smaller details such as this that we take for granted and that today's "journalists" rarely seem at all concerned with, unless it occassionally supports their specific political agenda.
Gentleman - 1. a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. "he behaved like a perfect gentleman"
2. a polite or formal way of referring to a man.
-Oxford Dictionary
"Gentleman just stuck a gun in my face" - unidentified 911 caller
If you watch and listen to the video presentation, you might notice some strange things about the alleged 911 call. The caller sounds oddly calm and unshaken. A man just shoved what he believed to be a deadly handgun in his face [which we now know was a BB gun]. He calls Mr Robertson a "gentleman" in his decidely calm 911 conversation with the operator. Does this person understand the meaning of the word?
"it’s a black Mercedes SL-60…there’s a dealer purchase plate on the back. It’s an AMG racing model." - 911 caller
I'm no expert on cars, but apparently this is a pretty expensive, rare vehicle. But the 911 caller seemed pretty familiar with it, almost as if he was some kind of Mercedes buff. For a guy who would understandably be in a state of trauma, he seemed particularly lucid. It sure would be nice to have an in depth interview with this individual. This was one of the the last people to interact with Mr Robertson before his deadly encounter, I'd say an in depth testimony is warranted. He can give an interview without his identity being revealed, if that is the issue. Who is being protected by not having him interviewed? Without pressure from the media and the public for answers, we may never get one.
"After a short confrontation, Robertson got back into his car and drove away. While deputies were responding to the location, dispatch relayed information that Robertson was traveling westbound on hwy 111. Responding deputies located Robertson’s vehicle near the intersection of Desert Horizons and hwy 111. A deputy attempted a traffic stop but Robertson would not pull over. Robertson drove past the entrance of the Desert Horizons Country Club and stopped his car just inside the gate." - from the Riverside County Sheriff Dept video presentation
The Sheriff has left out some very important details in this updated version. Compare with version #1 he gave:
"the suspect then got back in his vehicle and drove away…the victim of that call - uh called 911 and followed the driver of a black Mercedes. He called 911, deputies responded, they intercepted the driver of that vehicle just behind me here as they were pulling into …right here at the intersection and he pulled into the country club. He approached the gate, the gate was locked. He told the attendant that he needed to get through because the cops were chasing him, they opened the gate. He drove in, made an immediate U-turn, the deputies were behind him, stopped..."
According to version #1, the 911 caller FOLLOWED Mr Robertson as he fled the scene towards the Country Club. This detail is now left out in the video presentation. In version #1 Mr Robertson came to a locked gate when trying to enter the Country Club, and was let in after telling the attendent that the cops were chasing him. That entire exchange is now left out in the video presentation, where he basically just blows right past the gate without incident.
[Yellow text is mine]
The police pulled up behind Mr Robertson and attempted a "traffic stop." I think we all know what that means, and looking at the image above taken from the video presentation, it is safe to say the police were tailing closely behind the suspect - probably by mere SECONDS. Given that, Mr Robertson would not have had time to stop at the gate and convince the attendent to let him in because cops are following him. The attendent would probably have had to just INSTANTLY let him in while the cops were probably already within eye-shot. Try and picture how that all went down.
In the first blog we noted the confusing/contradictory details contained within Sheriff Bianco's initial statements regarding this incident, where he provides a blurry double vision picture of what happened and where. He also refers to Mr Robertson in PLURAL form when explaining how he entered the Country Club lot. By omitting the initial interaction outside the Chase Bank parking lot, ommitting the fact that the 911 caller FOLLOWED Mr Robertson to the Country Club, and ommitting the interaction with the parking attendant [who would know if Mr Robertson arrived alone or not, among other things] - omitting these facts just makes the story flow much smoother and cleaner. The downside is that we may not be getting the whole truth here, but rather a version favoring the preferred narrative of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
In the first blog, I noted that the Country Club's hours are listed as opening at 8AM, but I called them and discovered that golfers can show up as early as 7AM if they like. Mr Robertson and the cops showed up at almost exactly 7:30. So it is conceavable that he could have driven right in as stated in the video presentation. But questions remain regarding why Sheriff Bianco was initially so detailed in recounting Mr Robertson's interaction with the parking attendant, only to completely omit this interaction from the updated narrative.
As you can see above, there is one side of the street leading in and one leading out of the country club. They are seperated by a barrier which extends 20 or so feet beyond the entrance gate as one enters. Although the lanes leading in/out of the club look very narrow in this overhead view, they are actually very wide pathways, allowing 2 cars at a time to enter through 2 seperate toll booth style lanes. This is clearer to see in the street view image.
The above screenshot is the very first frame in the body cam footage section, showing a time stamp of 07:30:11. So Mr Robertson and the first cop arrive almost EXACTLY at 7:30.
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At 7:30:34 we get our first glimpse at the gate, through which both Mr Robertson and the cop likely drove through. The yellow arrow is pointing at the gate, which is in the UP position. This is where Sheriff Bianco stated in version #1 that Mr Robertson met a "locked" gate and a parking attendant. Where is this parking attendant and why is the gate still in the open position?
The green arrow is pointing at an area a car will soon appear. Keep this in mind for later.
The black arrow is pointing at Mr Robertson's Mercedes, which is facing the gates he just came through - as described in Sheriff Bianco's version #1, where he stated the suspect immediately made a U Turn after entering the parking lot. Why did he do this? And why isn't he trying to leave, since the gate is open? He was just fleeing the cops a moment ago, he could have just stopped his car and had his "suicide by cop" moment right there on the street. What did it matter if he died on the street or in the parking lot?
Why isn't the cop shouting for the parking attendant to close the gate, so the suspect cannot easily flee? It is easy to overlook some of the basic oddities here when we are fixated on the inevitable shootout, but it is the job of a detective to pause and notice things like this, lest he overlooks what might prove to be vital details.
At 7:31:16 we can now see a car has pulled up and is parked just on the other side of the gate. This is probably not a police officer. It does not appear to be a police car and Sheriff Bianco has stated that there were only 2 officers involved in the shooting. One is already inside the lot and the other is about to show up. We can also hear the officer on the scene asking about back-up, which had not yet arrived. So who is this person? In version #1, the 911 caller follows Mr Robertson as he flees the scene. Is this the 911 caller in the car? I don't know about you, but if someone stuck a gun in my face and asked me if I wanted to die a few moments ago, I would not want to be anywhere near that person, much less within direct eyesite! Perhaps this was just some random individual who drove up to play some golf, but saw the cop and did not know what to do? Or was this person there to block anyone else from coming in?
Think about this: the cop believes a man who is ARMED AND DANGEROUS is sitting in the Mercedes. He's not going to yell at/warn the individual off in the distance to stay back from the active crime scene? What if Mr Robertson thought this was the 911 caller and just bolted at him shooting?
Nearly a minute has passed since the cop arrived, what is Mr Robertson waiting for? Is he sitting in there trying to work up the courage to pull his "suicide by cop" move?
At 7:31:30, almost exactly a minute and a half after the first officer arrived, a second officer appears at the gate, which is still OPEN as you can see [where the orange arrow points]. The parked car is also still sitting there, within the yellow circle, lights/motor still appear to be on. What is this person waiting for, a shootout?
Almost exactly at the moment the 2nd cop pulls into the gateway, we hear the first officer shout for Mr Robertson to stay in his vehicle. From this angle, you can't really see if Mr Robertson is actually exiting his vehicle, and you can't see him open the door. He just sort of appears a second or 2 after the cop starts shouting. From this angle, it almost looks like his door was already open the whole time, but difficult to tell for sure. Interesting timing though. Was Mr Robertson waiting for this 2nd cop to arrive before ending his life, or did the 2nd cop's appearance simply "trigger" him? Did the yelling by the first cop "trigger" him? What TRIGGERED Royce Robertson to do all of this?
Notice that IMMEDIATELY after the 2nd cop arrives, the gate closes! It sat there open from at least the time that the first cop arrived, all the way up to the moment the 2nd cop drove in. Who is controlling that gate? The gate did not magically know that it needed to open for Mr Robertson, then a cop car, then a second cop car, before closing! It would certainly be helpful to ask this attendant why he closed that gate at that particular moment. This person is also about to witness the shooting, along with the individual [or individuals] sitting in the car just outside the gate, as if anticipating something. Is it just me, or does this all have a "planned" feeling to it?
Also notice the subtitles, quoting Mr Robertson as shouting "end my existence." That is NOT what he says, if you listen closely. He says "END EXISTENCE" multiple times. No matter how many times I listen back, I do not hear him say "end MY existence." Why is this significant? Because "end MY existence" means "I want to die." One reason that they may have intentionally added that word "my" in the subtitle is because it supports the "suicide by cop" theory. If push ever came to shove, they can always just say "oh, oops!." But no, he said "END EXISTENCE," which is much more disturbing in a way, because it suggests that Mr Robertson is in a state of dissassociation. End existence as a whole? Where is this man's mind at?
Dissociation is a break in how your mind handles information. You may feel disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, memories, and surroundings. It can affect your sense of identity and your perception of time. The symptoms often go away on their own. It may take hours, days, or weeks. - Webmd.com
"He is not this person with a gun that was trying to shoot a cop." - Demetria Robertson, Desert Sun
I am not suggesting that Royce Robertson is not the man in the video, I am suggesting that he appears to be in an extreme altered state of mind. A state of mind that is not consistent with the pillar of the Joshua Tree community so many knew and loved. What caused this?
While investigators are focused upon ensuring that the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is found to be justified in shooting to death a man who pulled a BB Gun on them - OUR focus should be on what caused Mr Robertson to enter into this altered state of mind. Did he have some sort of latent mental illness? Did something catastrophic happen in his life that caused him to snap? Did he have enemies?
What is causing many people to snap in our Country? Why have mass shootings and violence been on the rise for years now? [and often carried out by individuals with questionable motives or none at all!] Typically, the news media and politicians will turn this into a political opportunity to promote the idea that guns are the problem. Even in this case, I read some comments under this video where people were suggesting that BB Guns should be banned! This may seem like a "small town" issue, but it's part of a larger MENTAL epidemic in America that we need to address and get to the bottom of.
ClickHEREto read Part 3.
Click HERE to read Part 1.
Here are some other popular blogs I have done, click to read.
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America: Land of the Plumed Serpent
THE WATCHMEN SERIES
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