Pair arrested in double homicide at San Francisco playground

Bay City News
Tuesday, March 31, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO -- Police have arrested two men suspected of a double fatal shooting in the parking lot of the Crocker Amazon Playground in San Francisco's Excelsior neighborhood earlier this month.

Police arrested Davante Robinson and Gregory Morton III, both 21 years old, on suspicion of killing 18-year-old Kenyatta Butler Jr., of San Leandro, and 19-year-old Donzel Gaines, of San Francisco, in a shooting on the morning of March 9. The pair was arrested last Thursday, according to police.

San Francisco police said the arrests came as a result of an investigative collaboration with the Daly City Police Department and the San Francisco police gang task force unit.

On March 9, Butler and Gaines were sitting in a car in the parking lot near the soccer fields at the park when they were gunned down.

Butler was pronounced dead at the scene and Gaines, who was shot multiple times, was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.

Robinson was arrested in the days following the shooting for driving a stolen vehicle sought by police in connection with the double homicide.

Prosecutors said Robinson, a San Francisco resident, pleaded not guilty on March 13 to one count of unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and two counts of receiving stolen property.

Family members who attended a vigil on March 13 at Crocker Amazon Playground said Butler grew up in San Francisco and still spent a lot of his time in the city after his mother moved to San Leandro.

Police have not released possible motives for the homicides.

Anyone with further information on the homicide is still encouraged to contact San Francisco police anonymously at (415) 575-4444 or to send a text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.