Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

In aftermath of husband’s slaying, mother of 4 appreciates outpouring of public support

Desiree Robinson-Myers

Wade Vandervort

Desiree Robinson is shown Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, at her home in North Las Vegas with her children, from left, Nova, 1; Messiyah, 3; Malachi, 2; and Nalani, 9. Robinson’s husband, Michael Myers, was one of three people shot to death Sept. 1 in a string of apparently random shootings, North Las Vegas Police said. Myers’ death, Robinson said, has left the family scrambling, but she is grateful for the support the family has received from the community since the tragedy.

Desiree Robinson was waiting for her husband to return from a corner store when a neighbor knocked on her door.

There had been a shooting, he said, and they needed to go — right away. They drove down the street, and when they pulled up to the scene, Robinson’s world turned upside down.

“I got out the car and I immediately see my husband laying there on the ground,” Robinson said. “And there was an ambulance already around for him. I don’t know how long he was there. I think he was already gone by the time I got there.”

Her husband, Michael Myers, was one of three people shot to death Sept. 1 in a string of apparently random shootings, North Las Vegas Police said.

The suspect, a transient man named Tristan Tidwell, made a number of incoherent statements, according to a police report.

Tidwell told investigators homeless people needed to be “put down” and “anything without a home gets terminated,” police said. He was arrested on three counts of murder.

Nearly three weeks later, “it just doesn’t even feel real still,” Robinson said. “My husband came home every night. He was a good man. He was always there, so it just didn’t feel real that he was laying there.”

Robinson said Myers was a family man who loved spending time with her and their four children, Nalani, 9, Messiyah, 3, Malachi, 2, and Nova, 1.

“He knew it was his job to provide and work for his family,” Robinson said. “And he had no problem with that. He was always funny, he always cracked jokes. He was just a great guy and he made an impact on anyone’s life he met.”

The worst part, Robinson said, is Myers won’t be around for his children, to do things like play fight or wrestle with them. “That’s the stuff they’re going to miss,” she said.

Robinson said her husband’s death has left her scrambling financially, as Myers was the lone source of income for the family.

That prompted her to start a GoFundMe campaign, which had raised over $4,000 of its $10,000 goal by Friday afternoon.

“It feels really good to know that people care,” she said.

Myers had gone to the store Sept. 1 to get some snacks.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business showed him walking south on Mary Dee Avenue toward Cheyenne Avenue. Tidwell was seen walking the same direction several minutes later, according to police.

Tidwell stopped and waited several minutes behind a trailer until Myers returned from the store, police said.

Tidwell walked up behind Myers and fatally shot him in the back with a 9mm handgun, police said. Police arrested Tidwell that night.

Tidwell is also accused of shooting a homeless man near a casino on Las Vegas Boulevard North, near East Carey Avenue, and another man in the 3000 block of Civic Center Drive, according to police.

Robinson, meanwhile, said she was trying to make the best of a horrible situation. “I feel like my husband would be proud to see me still trying to move forward,” she said.