ATLANTA, Jan. 22 (UPI) — A DeKalb County, Ga., police officer was indicted on six counts, including murder, for the March 2015 shooting of an unarmed civilian.
Officer Robert Olsen was charged by a county grand jury Thursday with felony murder, violation of oath of office, aggravated assault and making a false statement, in the death of Anthony Hill, 27, who was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Olsen shot Hill twice after responding to a call that a naked man was outdoors near his residence, a suburban Atlanta apartment complex, and behaving erratically.
In a wrongful death suit against Olsen, Hill’s family said the victim was experiencing a “non-violent mental episode” provoked by psychological trauma caused by his deployment in Afghanistan. There were no reports Hill, at the time, was threatening his neighbors.
Olsen testified he feared for his own life, suspecting Hill was affected by drugs.
Hill had no criminal record, but his family contended in the civil suit that Olsen has a history of “aggressive conduct” and “propensity toward anger when dealing with members of the public.”
A warrant for Olsen’s arrest was issued, DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James said Thursday, adding Olsen will be taken into custody.
Hill’s death sparked a public outcry similar to several other recent cases in which a black man has been killed by white officers like the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C. Demonstrators gathered outside the DeKalb courthouse awaiting the grand jury decision.
Upon hearing the news, some members of the crowd, holding signs, chanted, “All six counts.”
