On Sunday, November 18, 1973, City of Newburgh Police Officer William M. Robinson, 29, was dispatched to an address on Benkard Avenue in Newburgh to assist fellow officers at a domestic dispute, with a report from officers on the scene that shots had been fired. When Officer Robinson and his canine partner, Rinny, arrived on the scene, police were engaged in a gun battle with the occupant of the residence. Officer Robinson sought cover behind a radio car, but was struck once in the head by a 30-06 caliber rifle bullet, and he died at the scene. Fellow Newburgh police officers fired tear gas into the apartment and arrested Wilfredo “Willie” Rivera, 23, and charged him with the murder of Police Officer Robinson.
Officer Robinson was the first City of Newburgh Police Officer to be killed in the Line of Duty, leaving behind a wife, Judith, and two sons. William was 9 and Daniel was 5 at the time of their father's death.