Sharamie Robinson says the killing of her only son should not become another act of violence that a community accepts as normal.
AUSTIN, Texas — After her 18-year-old son was fatally shot on the Fourth of July, an Austin mother is calling on families and young people to confront gun violence while police continue investigating his death.
Sharamie Robinson said the loss of Antonio Cleveland Jr., her only son, has devastated their family. She is asking anyone with information about the North Austin shooting to speak with police, but her message extends beyond the search for a suspect. She said repeated violence involving young people must not be accepted as a normal part of life.
“The gun violence has to stop, it has to stop,” Robinson said. “Parents shouldn’t have to go through this. Innocent bystanders shouldn’t have to keep on losing life because other people want to deal with gang violence or gun violence. It has to stop.”
Cleveland was shot shortly before midnight July 4 outside Otro Pedo Sports Bar at 900 East Braker Lane. Austin police said officers responding at about 11:48 p.m. found two wounded men and began providing medical help.
Both men were taken to a hospital. The second victim had injuries that police described as non-life-threatening. Cleveland was pronounced dead at 12:29 a.m. Investigators said both men appeared to have been shot in the parking lot by an unidentified person who fled.
Police have not said what caused the altercation, identified a motive or released a description of the shooter. No suspect had been named as of Thursday.
Robinson said Cleveland graduated from Hendrickson High School in 2025. He took part in ROTC, wrestling and football, and she remembered him as an active young man who looked out for other people.
“He was an athlete, he was a protector, he was a friend,” she said.
Robinson said she last saw Cleveland the day before his death. On July 4, he attended an event for his uncle at a park. Later that night, she learned that he had been seriously wounded.
She said she did not have an opportunity to speak with him before he died. In the days that followed, she began sorting through memories of the son she called her baby and her hero.
Robinson has urged parents to talk with their children about shootings and the harm they leave behind. She said images of violence shared online can make death seem distant or routine, even as families experience consequences that last long after public attention moves elsewhere.
Her plea also includes a direct message to people who know what happened outside the sports bar. Robinson said silence leaves her family without answers and allows the person responsible to remain unidentified.
“If you know the person, if you know people that were there, encourage them,” Robinson said. “Y’all would want somebody to talk. It could be y’all’s parents in my shoes.”
Austin police have requested photographs, recordings and other possible evidence from anyone who was near the business that night. Tips can be provided to police or submitted anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers. Authorities said information leading to an arrest may qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.
The department classified Cleveland’s death as Austin’s 32nd homicide of 2026. The investigation remained open Thursday, with the shooter’s identity and the reason for the confrontation still unknown.
Author note: Last updated July 23, 2026.