This is stated in the police report Shankwela Robinson was alive when medical help first arrived at the vacation home where she lived with a group of people last month in Cabo, Mexico.
The report differs from the details previously shared by the 25-year-old Death of Robinson certificate that said she died within 15 minutes of injury. Instead, an excerpt from the police report shows that a doctor from a local hospital was with Robinson and others at the home for nearly three hours before she was pronounced dead.
The Charlotte Observer obtained excerpts from the police report earlier this week, which has not yet been released. Investigative journalist Gerardo Zuniga, who works in Los Cabos for MetropoliMx, told the “Obozrevatel” about this, and the details – reported for the first time by MetropoliMx on Monday.
Robinson is a Charlotte native who arrived in Cabo on October 28. A day later she died.
Notably, the police information provided to MetropliMx does not mention the obvious signs of physical injuries on Robinson, which family members said were on her body before she was buried. The cause of death was determined to be severe back and neck injuries an autopsy conducted by officials in Mexico. The police report says she also went into cardiac arrest.
After her death, the FBI and Mexican police began an investigation how she died. Lack of conclusive evidence and conflicting explanations led to her story goes viralcausing global outrage to countless people watch closely Death of Robinson. The hashtag #JusticeForShanquella trended on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok.
The Charlotte Observer was unable to contact those who were with her on the trip. As of Monday evening, no arrests had been reported.
Robinson’s family were suspicious of her friends’ claims that she died of alcohol poisoning, when a Mexican autopsy report indicated that the cause of death was “severe spinal cord injury and dislocation of the atlas.” An atlas sprain is one form of neck injury.
The Observer attempted to contact the Cabo police via email and social media but did not receive a response. Zuniga told the Observer that he obtained the internal law enforcement report through a source. Robinson’s family did not return multiple calls and messages.
Shankella Robinson’s police report
According to the police report, on October 29 at 2:13 p.m., medical assistance was called to Villa Linda 32, a company managed property Cabo Villaslocated in San Jose del Cabo.
After about an hour, Dr. Carolina Beatriz Arnelos Gutierrez of the American Medical Center, a local hospital, arrived to treat Robinson, according to excerpts from the report. In the tourist centers of Mexico, vacation rental home calls are common for routine medical emergencies.
The Observer confirmed to the American Medical Center on Monday that Gutierrez works there. The hospital did not respond to requests for medical reports and autopsies.
An excerpt from the police report does not make it clear who called 911, but the person reported is listed as Venter Donovan of Greensboro. Donovan is one of six people identified by family, friends and the media as the person Robinson was traveling with.
Donovan could not be reached for comment, and her phone number listed in an excerpt from the police report has been disconnected.
Excerpt from police report in Spanish. According to a translation of the document by staff at the Charlotte Observer, Dr. Gutierrez says she was told Robinson “drank a lot of alcohol” and the medical call was for Robinson to be “put on a drip.”
The police report shows that Gutierrez found a “woman” — understood in the report to be Robinson — with stable vital signs, but is dehydrated, unable to communicate verbally, and appears intoxicated.
The doctor said that she thought Robinson should be transferred to the hospital, but her friends insisted that she be treated at the villa. Dr. Gutierrez attempted an IV but was unsuccessful, the report said. It is unclear what medication was in the IV.
Police said the doctor had been there for about an hour when Robinson began having a seizure. According to the report, the convulsions from the seizure lasted less than a minute.
“At that point, a friend of the patient named Venter Donovan called 911 to request an ambulance.” to translate the report from Spanish to English. It was around 4:20 p.m
“Meanwhile, the patient was having labored breathing and a low heart rate, and they gave her rescue breaths.”
The doctor and a friend began performing CPR at 4:49 p.m., when Gutierrez discovered that Robinson’s pulse had stopped.
Police arrived and spoke with the doctor who treated Robinson at 5:25 p.m. It is unclear from the information in the police report what time EMS arrived after the 911 call.
Information in the report indicates that paramedics “administered a total of 14 rounds of CPR, five doses of epinephrine, and six shocks (AED shocks) without success.”
Failing to revive Robinson, Gutierrez “pronounced her dead at 5:57 p.m.,” the report said.
The police report listed “deceased (cardiopulmonary arrest)” as the reason the police were called.
How did Shankella Robinson die?
Salamondra Robinson, Shankella’s mother, said news publications that each friend on the trip has a story and they initially told her that her daughter had alcohol poisoning.
In the official autopsy reports, the cause of death was “severe spinal cord injury and dislocation of the atlas.”
Mexican authorities are investigating Robinson’s death as a possible femicide, the Baja California Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday, according to ABC News. Femicide is “the gender-based killing of a woman or girl by a man, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary.
The FBI has opened an investigation into Robinson’s death amid conflicting reports, the agency confirmed in a statement last Friday to The Charlotte Observer and other outlets.
A video of the fight went viral, and Robinson’s mother spoke out CBS News she recognizes her daughter in the footage.
The footage shows another woman repeatedly punching the naked woman, who is barely spoken to, in the face until she falls to the ground. The man, who is not seen in the video, says: “Kwela, can you at least fight back?” The FBI says they have seen the video.
Robinson’s family is looking for answers
Robinson’s sister Quila Long said in a statement released in the gofundme, the family will continue to investigate what happened and they are raising funds for legal costs.
“The United States Department of State issued a statement saying there was ‘no clear evidence of foul play,’ but there is a video circulating of a woman brutally assaulting Shankwell,” Long said. “This statement is unacceptable and we are beyond devastated. We continue to fight for the truth.”
As of Monday morning, the page had raised $354,422. This included a $50,000 donation from Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving.
Hundreds of community members attended Robinson’s funeral on Nov. 19, and loved ones wore pink in her honor.
Her coffin, wrapped with her photos, was brought to Macedonia Baptist Church by hearse. Her loved ones signed the coffin before her burial.
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 5:20 p.m.
Sara Kaela investigates issues across North Carolina for The Charlotte Observer. Before joining the team, Caela covered criminal justice and news for The Dallas Morning News and The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina
