Feds: Man sentenced to more than 2 years for possessing gun used to shoot him in Rotterdam last year

Rotterdam police car — PHOTOGRAPHER: - -

ALBANY – A North Carolina man was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison this week for possessing a gun while having a prior felony conviction — the same gun a woman used to shoot him last year in Rotterdam, authorities said.

The woman was initially charged in the shooting, but the case was eventually put on course for dismissal as her account of domestic abuse and self defense lined up with the evidence, while the man’s account of events did not, a local prosecutor said.

Cameron Robinson, 25, of Grover, N.C. admitted to possessing a semi-automatic pistol while having a prior felony conviction, federal prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 2 years, 3 months in prison Thursday, according to officials said.

The case centered around an incident that happened just before 5 a.m. May 4, 2022 at a Rotterdam residence, according to the federal complaint in Robinson’s case.

Then, the woman, who is not named in the complaint, called 911 “stating words to the effect that she used a gun to defend herself and that Cameron Robinson was running,” the complaint read.

Others also called 911 to report hearing a gunshot. Police responded and found Robinson outside with a gunshot wound to his arm. He was taken to Albany Medical Center for treatment.

A search of the residence then uncovered the gun. The woman then told investigators that Robinson had arrived to visit about 11 days earlier and that he’d showed her the gun the first day. He’d indicated he’d brought it for protection as he didn’t know anyone in New York, the Robinson complaint read.

Investigators met with Robinson two days after the incident in his hospital room and Robinson soon admitted the gun was his, that he bought it in 2021 and had brought it to New York for protection. He also admitted he knew he couldn’t possess a firearm due to his status as a convicted felon and that his criminal history was “pretty bad,” the complaint read.

Regarding the shooting investigation, Schenectady County prosecutor Maria Apruzzese said Friday that the woman was initially charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, but the case was later adjourned in contemplation of dismissal in September, putting it on course for dismissal in March, due to the facts uncovered in the investigation of the case.

The woman reported three prior incidents of violence from Robinson toward her, one of them leading to the shooting. Police found marks on her and neighbors confirmed hearing sounds that backed her account before the shot was fired, Apruzzese said. Robinson’s story, however, didn’t make sense.

The woman also had no prior issues, Apruzzese said.

Related to the incident, Robinson was also charged locally with criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment, charges that remain pending, Apruzzese said.