Prosecutor Seeks Murder Indictment for Cop Who Killed Naked Unarmed Vet
Georgia prosecutors will seek a felony murder charge for DeKalb County Police Officer Robert Olsen, who shot and killed Anthony Hill, a black veteran of the U.S. Air Force who was unarmed and naked at the time of his death, DeKalb County District Attorney Robert D. James Jr. announced today.
In March, Officer Olsen, who is white, encountered Hill, who is black, outside an apartment complex in Chamblee, Georgia, where he was responding to a 911 call about a naked man who was “acting deranged, knocking on doors,” DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander said at the time. Witnesses said Hill did not halt when Olsen instructed him to, and that his hands were up or at his sides at the time of the shooting. Olsen fired two shots, which struck Hill’s chest.
Hill served in the war in Afghanistan and was bipolar, according to his doctors. His family said he suffered from PTSD from his time at war, and that his behavior on the day of his death was related to the illness.
A grand jury will decide whether to indict Olsen on January 21. “Our position is that the facts and the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Anthony Hill warrant a charge for felony murder,” District Attorney James said.
