Police are looking for a shooter after a smoke shop robbery in North Miami Beach led to the senseless death of a store employee. NBC6’s Niko Clemmons reports
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the armed robbery murder of a North Miami Beach smoke shop employee that was caught on camera.
William Robinson, 22, was arrested Tuesday on first-degree murder and armed robbery charges in the June 11 killing of 35-year-old Salem Albakri, an arrest warrant said.
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WATCH HEREAlbakri had been working at Miami Cloudz at 2063 Northeast 163rd Street when he was discovered on the floor of the store with a gunshot wound lying in a pool of blood.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance cameras captured the entire incident that led to his killing.
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The footage showed four males enter the store and walk up to Albakri, before they asked to see several pieces of merchandise.
At one point, one suspect pulls a gun from the front pocket of his red hooded sweatshirt and points it at Albakri.
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Albakri saw the gun and tried to flee into the rear of the business but the gunman fired a shot, hitting Albakri in the back, the warrant said.
The suspects ran out of the business but Robinson grabbed a large jar containing what's believed to be marijuana and fled with it, the warrant said.
The footage showed Robinson place his hand on the glass counter while viewing merchandise, and investigators were able to get fingerprints from the counter which were later confirmed to be Robinson's, the warrant said.
Detectives were also able to use a photo from the surveillance and run it through a facial recognition program that confirmed Robinson as one of the suspects, the warrant said.
A records check showed Robinson had been arrested in Miami Beach on Sept. 12, 2023. The officer who arrested him identified him in the surveillance and also provided body worn camera footage of the 2023 arrest that confirmed his identity, the warrant said.
Robinson was booked into jail where he remained held without bond, records showed.
Authorities haven't said if any of the other suspects have been identified or arrested.
