In September of 2021, 16-year-old Keith Robinson was detained by police at gunpoint — along with his teammates and their football coach — and accused of robbing an ATM machine.

Now, 10 months later, he says he ended up in handcuffs again after leaving football practice. Both times authorities found that he was not involved in anything criminal — and both times, he and his coach say things went too far.

On Thursday, Pasco County officials said a witness told investigators that a Black male wearing a hoodie attempted to rob a victim before shooting him.

Robinson, who was wearing a hoodie, was in the area with his coach when they were accosted by deputies.

“My heart started racing — I didn’t know because I heard them say it was us and I saw one cop, he had his hand on his gun holster and you never know what’s going to happen then when guns are involved,” Robinson said. “I’m a teenager. I’m supposed to be living my life, enjoying life. I’m a straight-A student. I’m 16. I shouldn’t be dealing with stuff like this. I’m not in the streets.”

Robinson said he was with his football coach, Lenn Royal, dropping off another student at a CVS store, and arrived moments after someone else had committed a violent crime. But Royal said deputies came after them.

“Once they got me out the car, they informed the officers that it was my football player that had done the shooting, just because he had on a hoodie and he was a Black guy,” Royal said.

This is the second time Royal and Robinson have been in a situation like this in less than a year. In September of 2021, after one player withdrew money from an ATM, Tarpon Springs police officers accused them of robbing it.

After searching their school’s marked van, police found that they hadn't robbed the ATM and let them go.

“Now I’m thinking, maybe one day, this is the second time, maybe the third time they may shoot one of my football players for accidentally getting their cameras trying to film," Royal said. "Or I may step out of the car wrong and they end my life."

In this latest case, Pasco Sheriff’s Office officials said they were responding to the description given to them by a witness, and once Robinson was out of the car and in cuffs they realized he wasn’t the suspect.

Robinson’s mother, Denise, said she wants an apology.

“At least call and say, 'Hey, we’re sorry there was a mistake,'” she said.

His dad, Ivory, on the other hand, wants action.

“Change, that’s the main thing," he said. "You say you’re sorry, be apologetic, but he’s not the first one to deal with this. You can say sorry all you want but change must take place."

In the wake of the incident, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office released the following statement:

When the first deputy arrived at the scene of the shooting, witnesses and the victim pointed out a SUV in the parking lot where the shooting occurred and stated the suspect was in the vehicle. Deputies first approached the driver of the vehicle when witnesses then indicated the suspect was on the "other side" of the car, meaning the passenger side. 

The passenger of this vehicle identified by witnesses stepped out of the car and was detained in handcuffs. When a deputy walked with the passenger around the vehicle, witnesses then stated, "that's not him." 

Deputies then removed the handcuffs from the passenger and gathered his information after it was determined that he was both not involved and did not witness any part of the incident. In total, the passenger was in handcuffs for less than a minute and 40 seconds and on scene for approximately 20 minutes. An adult was present with the passenger during this time. 

As deputies gathered more information, the suspect description changed. Initially, witnesses claimed the suspect was wearing a white hoodie, but then changed the description to a black hoodie. The individual identified first by witnesses that was detained briefly was wearing a white hoodie. 

The suspect is described as a Black male with a slim build in his late teens. The suspect left the scene in a SUV, driven by a white male. This information was determined through surveillance footage. 

Regarding concerns of racial profiling, the deputies on scene were told by witnesses and the victim that the suspect was a Black male in this particular vehicle in the parking lot. That changed once the witnesses saw the passenger of the vehicle.