Former Ontario hockey player fatally shot in U.S. shortly after trying to get a ride to his hotel: reports
An Ontario man was fatally shot shortly after attempting to negotiate a ride back to the hotel with a DoorDash driver, multiple American outlets are reporting, citing a criminal complaint.
Court documents obtained by NBC affiliate
and
indicate the accused is a food delivery driver who was offered cash for a ride back to the hotel where Giovanni Michael “Mike” Robinson and the three men with him were staying.
Robinson was in Wisconsin for a golf trip. The incident took place on Wednesday with the Sheboygan Falls Police Department
announcing the arrest of a 35-year-old suspect
, Luis E. Cruz Burgos, at his Sheboygan home on Friday evening. The
that the suspect has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide of the 32-year-old from Stouffville, Ont.
If convicted, the accused faces
a mandatory life sentence in Wisconsin.
Sheboygan police said they will hold a press conference early this week with more information.
In the meantime, here’s what we know so far.
Who is the accused shooter, Luis E. Cruz Burgos?
According to the criminal complaint filed in the Sheboygan County Circuit Court, Cruz Burgos reportedly told officers he’d been working for the food delivery service for roughly nine months, using a black Ford Escape SUV to complete his deliveries.
A spokesperson for DoorDash told National Post that Cruz Burgos worked for the company but said he was not “on a dash” at the time of the incident and whatever occurred is “completely unrelated” to the platform.
New reporting: A criminal complaint obtained by TMJ4 News reveals that police believe Mike Robinson was shot in Sheboygan Falls by a DoorDash driver after a failed negotiation for a ride. (@TMJ4)https://t.co/rghN1Sc1yO
— Ryan Jenkins (@RyanJenkins_TV) September 27, 2025
He also reportedly told police he was not allowed to possess firearms as a result of a 2019 court order in Florida related to a domestic incident.
Cruz Burgos is being held in custody and it’s unclear when he will appear in court.
What allegedly happened in Sheboygan Falls?
The preliminary investigation indicated that Robinson was shot from a gun fired from inside a moving vehicle that was described by witnesses “as a small, dark coloured SUV” just after midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Efforts to resuscitate Robinson failed and police said he died at the scene from a single, fatal gunshot wound.
National Post has contacted Sheboygan police for more information.
Witnesses in the complaint reportedly said that after failing to negotiate a ride with Cruz Burgos they decided to walk back to their hotel, as reported by
.
🚨 The family of a Canadian man who was shot and killed during a golfing trip in Wisconsin is sharing new photos as they continue to seek answers about his death.
From TMJ4 News – The newly shared images of Giovanni Michael Robinson — known to friends and family as Mike — offer… pic.twitter.com/gvjpZMBBKT
— The Corridor News (@CorridorScanner) September 26, 2025
While they and Cruz Burgos told police the conversation wasn’t “hostile,” the accused alleged that they called him “stupid” and one flipped him off as he drove off.
Several minutes later, one witness reportedly told police he saw what appeared to be Cruz Burgos’ vehicle pull up alongside them and fire a shot through the open passenger side window. Another witness reportedly said he heard a “pop” and believes he saw Cruz Burgos’ vehicle drive away.
Cruz Burgos, meanwhile, reportedly told police that everything seemed normal when he drove by the men again and said he did not see anyone shoot a gun,
also reported.
Who is Giovanni ‘Mike’ Robinson?
Born in 1993, Robinson grew up dedicated to hockey and eventually landed in the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara IceDogs, according to a
started by his cousins.
Robinson played five seasons of men’s hockey at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology from 2014 to 2019, and capped his career with a season of professional hockey for the Hannover Scorpions in Germany’s Oberliga, its third-tier circuit.
He and his wife were married in 2022 and had just welcomed their first child only six weeks before his death.
The Niagara IceDogs and greater hockey community are mourning the tragic loss of IceDogs Alumnus, Mike Robinson.
Our hearts go out to Mike’s family and friends during this difficult time.
GoFundMe supporting Mike’s Family: https://t.co/qHcJXIR97w pic.twitter.com/vIk7XFxGMX
— Niagara IceDogs (@OHLIceDogs) September 25, 2025
“He was the proudest when she arrived, showing her off with the biggest smile you could ever imagine. He dove right into his new role of ‘Dad’ and was a natural, just like we all knew he would be,” cousins Amanda and Daniella Apostolakos wrote.
“It is the most heartbreaking to know he will never be able to hold his baby girl again.”
The fundraiser has pulled in $228,041 as of Monday morning.
What happened on the golf course?
Robinson and the three men he was with when he died, one of whom was his brother-in-law, were visiting the state on a golf trip to Sheboygan Falls.
The
it was something he’d do regularly, as he was most recently based in Pennsylvania and working for a golf company.
“Mike was wonderful,” a spokesperson for The Indoor Golf Shop told National Post in an email last week, “and we at TIGS are all heartbroken by his loss.”
According to the league and the GoFundMe, Robinson had just hit his first-ever hole-in-one that day at Whistling Straits Golf Course
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