Rondell Robinson

Rondell Robinson
Profession:	Drug dealer
Status:	Deceased
Played by:	Walter Jones
Season(s):	1 - 2
Died:	"Carnivores" Shot by Kern Little's men
First episode:	"Dawg Days"
Last episode:	"Co-Pilot"

Rondell Robinson was a major drug dealer in the Farmington neighborhood with links to the Farmington One-Niners.

Rondell started as a small-time dealer working under Lionel Phipps. However, after Lionel was arrested by the Strike Team, Rondell took over his business with the protection of Detective Vic Mackey. Eventually, he started using his own drugs and became unstable and sloppy, which led Mackey to change his support to T.O. Osmond, one of Rondell's men. Rondell was murdered after a series of scuffles with his rival dealers and the Nation of Islam.

Before Season 1

Rondell and other dealers are rounded on the street.

Rondell and Kern Little grew up together in Farmington, and were friends since childhood. As he grew up, Rondell became one of Lionel Phipps small-time drug dealers in Farmington.

The Strike Team tries to convince Rondell to turn on his boss.

When Detective Vic Mackey and the Strike Team set their sights on capturing Lionel, they approached Rondell to see if he was willing to give up his boss. After capturing him for a misdemeanor for marihuana possession, they asked him to testify against Lionel, but Rondell refused to. Eventually, they managed to plant drugs in Lionel's house and approached Rondell again. He then testified against Lionel to Captain David Aceveda.

After that, Rondell took over Lionel's drug business and became Farmington's major supplier of drugs, with the protection of Vic Mackey. Mackey would get rid of potential rivals, which would then keep gang wars at a minimun, helping Rondell run his business smoothly. It also helped the Strike Team to keep track of what was put on the street. Rondell also gave a cut of his earnings to his friend, Kern.

Season 1

Terry Crowley watches Rondell meet with Vic.

Mackey and Shane Vendrell met with Rondell at a car wash. Detective Terry Crowley witnessed them being friendly and reported this to Captain David Aceveda, who figured about Mackey's deal with Rondell.

Some time later, Rondell was at the Chez Club for the release party of Kern Little's album. When rival dealer T-Bonz arrived and started stirring up trouble, a shoot-out ensued where Rondell took out his gun and fired several rounds. Officer Danny Sofer was working as security at the scene and witnessed Rondell doing so. When Mackey found about this, he visited Rondell and ordered him to keep his men off the street and lay low for awhile. Vic also asked Rondell to give up two fellow gang members so Mackey could make some arrests on the case without it leading to Rondell. Despite Vic's warning, Rondell let his dealers work on the streets, which led to more shootings on the street.

When Danny identified Rondell as one of the shooters, Aceveda had him arrested. During questioning, he denied all the charges. While being held, he ordered one of his men to scare Sofer with a gun to prevent her from testifying. When Mackey found about this, he punished Rondell, donating all of his belongings to charity. After Rondell posted a $100,000 bail and returned home, he found it empty and Vic reminded him that cops were off-limits.

At some point, Rondell started using his own drugs, which made his behavior more erratic. One night he drugged Paula, one of Kern's singers, trying to have sex with her, and she ended up being unable to record the next day. When the Nation of Islam started handing out pamphlets in one of his corners, Rondell punched the leader of the group, Xavier Salaam and started telling everyone that Vic Mackey and Kern Little would protect him. This angered his right-hand, T.O. Osmond, who started looking for ways to take his place.

Because of this problem with the Nation of Islam, Rondell was unable to come up with $50,000 that he was supposed to pay Jasper, a customs employee, that would get his drugs through. At the time of the meeting with Jasper, Rondell was with Kern Little trying to ask him for the money so he could pay Jasper. However, Kern refused to give him the money. At this moment, T.O. and some of his men drove beside them and shot Kern's car trying to kill Rondell, not knowing that the car was armored. Since he lost the meeting with Jasper, Vic and Shane Vendrell found him and he told them about the shooting.

Thinking the shooting was the work of the Nation of Islam, Rondell went to the corner they frequented and shot at them. That night, Rondell went to the Barn looking for Vic. When he saw Vic, Rondell started screaming at him, telling him of how he had shot the Nation of Islam. Vic grabbed him aside and told him he couldn't come to his work, but Rondell told him they were looking to kill him. As Vic dragged him outside, he screamed to Vic that if he went down, he wouldn't go down alone.

Rondell realizes he just shot at Vic Mackey.

After leaving, Rondell sought hiding in the rooftop of a building. Since this was a place he and Kern frequented when they were kids, Kern took Vic there to talk with him. As they came up, Rondell got so nervous that he shot at them thinking they were someone else. Vic got so angry at him that he threatened to throw him off the roof. After Kern convinced him otherwise, Vic punched him and left.

The police find Rondell dead in an alley.

After this, Vic agreed to change his support to T.O. Osmond disowning Rondell. He then told Kern about the change and convinced him to tell Rondell it was safe to go home. That night, Rondell was killed when he was shot several times. He was found by the police in an alley and Detectives Dutch Wagenbach and Claudette Wyms worked the case.

Notes

• Rondell appeared from a distance in the pilot episode talking with Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell, but he wasn't credited. It is possible that he wasn't played by Walter Jones either.
• Rondell has a collection of Blue Note LPs, which is a jazz record label.
• The actor who portrays Rondell Robinson, Walter Jones is famous for playing Zack Taylor, the first Black Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Appearances

Season 2

The Quick Fix · Dead Soldiers · Partners · Carte Blanche · Greenlit · Homewrecker · Barnstormers · Scar Tissue · Co-Pilot · Coyotes · Inferno · Breakpoint · Dominoes Falling ·