While Harker Heights isn’t renowned for making news, the peaceful Texas town was wide awake following a 12-hour standoff with local authorities. Justin D. Robison, 39, also known as Arial Robison, outran cops and frantically sought to provoke them into a tragic consequence.
Robison made a heartfelt appeal on social media, stating, “I wanted to die, by suicide by cop,” and adding, “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” However, the suicidal thoughts eventually emerged in a very unsettling manner.
Robison acknowledged firing a handgun three times—once at the ground and twice at a brick wall—during an online confession. Things swiftly intensified when police were summoned to undertake a welfare check on the subject. Robison fired numerous bullets from an AR-15 inside the residence before a SWAT squad broke in and captured the culprit.
Robison was arrested and placed on $200,000 bail for first-degree felony aggravated assault on a public worker. Notwithstanding her gender identity, the accused was held among biologically male convicts. When the media learned about this supposed social injustice, they questioned Bell County Prison right away. Nevertheless, the response they got was not what anybody anticipated.
In response to the outrage about Robison being kept alongside biological male convicts, Chief Deputy Chuck Cox said unequivocally that suspects are placed strictly based on their actual anatomy, not how they feel or with whom they wish to be booked.
As the media was raising concerns about probable prejudice against transgender prisoners, the police chief of Harker Heights lauded his officers and other emergency responders. He reminded the people that their activities were likely responsible for saving Robinson’s life.
Robison is a veteran of the United States Army who served for ten years but was never deployed. Robinson was promoted to specialist a year before being released. Robison was known as Justin Robison in the service.
According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 40 percent of transgender people had tried suicide. Unfortunately, research suggests that sex-change surgery has practically little effect on suicidal inclinations.
Robison was placed alongside biological men, according to Chief Deputy Cox, for the protection of all offenders under his supervision. Cox argues that housing female convicts alongside biological men is much too dangerous.
That seems to be a laudable objective, but we must assess what is “equal and fair” for all convicts, not just transgender inmates. A discrimination lawsuit is practically unavoidable now that the media is involved.
