Former Canadian hockey player Giovanni Michael Robinson died on a golf trip just six weeks after welcoming his first daughter and one week before his sister’s wedding.
Robinson was shot and killed in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin on Wednesday, September 24, the Sheboygan Falls Police Department confirmed in a statement. He was 32 years old.
“At this time, no suspects have been apprehended and the motive behind this senseless act remains under investigation,” the statement read. “The department is committed to utilizing all available resources to apprehend those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Robinson, who was known by Mike to his family and friends, was shot just after midnight while walking back to his Wisconsin hotel after golfing at Whistling Straits Golf Course, where he had just celebrated his first-ever hole-in-one.
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“He was a very good man, and he was an awesome brother,” Mike’s brother Jacob told Milwaukee’s TMJ4 on Thursday, September 25. “He was an even better husband. And he was going to be an amazing dad. He was excited to be a father.”
Jacob added, “Just this senseless act has taken away so many aspects. Not only a brother, but a son and a husband, and now my little niece — she’s only six weeks old — and she’s never really going to ever know her true father.”
Mike and his wife, Rachel, got married in 2022. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Farrah, in August.
The murder came one week before Mike’s sister was supposed to get married. Jacob told Fox6 Milwaukee that the ceremony has been postponed.
“My heart wrenches for my sister,” Jacob said. “I can’t explain how that feels to have to cancel your wedding because your brother’s funeral is going to replace the wedding. I don’t have any emotions other than pain and sadness.”
According to a police report, authorities believe Mike was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
When police arrived, they found Mike suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene after attempts to save his life were unsuccessful.
Mike played for the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League in St. Catherines, Ontario from 2012 to 2014. He also played for the Stouffville Spirit of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) for nearly a decade before joining Niagara.
“On behalf of the OJHL our hearts go out to family and friends of Michael Robinson in this time of sorrow,” the league shared in a statement on Thursday. “Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. May you find comfort in the loving memories you shared with your loved ones. Rest in peace, The OJHL Family.”
Katie Gaudreau, whose brothers Johnny and Matthew were killed the night before her wedding last year, reacted to the news via social media.
“My heart hurts so bad for this family,” Katie shared via her Instagram Story on Friday, September 26. “His sister getting ready for the best day of her life. Feel so much pain for her. Holding her and the rest of their family in our hearts.”
