Court Decision Paves Way For Prosecution of DeKalb Cop in Death of Unarmed Vet

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Court Decision Paves Way For Prosecution of DeKalb Cop in Death of Unarmed Vet

October 18th, 2017

Awake Goy

A precedent shattering prosecution of a former DeKalb County cop in the fatal shooting an unarmed veteran will resume following a ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court.

At issue: Whether prosecutors violated the principle of grand jury secrecy when they secured indictments against Robert Olsen — the first against a law enforcement officer in Georgia in at least five years.

Olsen’s attorney, Don Samuel, argued that by allowing unauthorized personnel with no connection to the case into the proceedings, then-DeKalb District Attorney Robert James put the former officer at a disadvantage.

But the Supreme Court, in an unanimous decision, found “no unlawful conduct … and no prejudice is demonstrated by the manner in which the prosecutor conducted the evidentiary stage of the grand jury proceedings,” wrote Justice Robert Benham.

It’s been 31 months since Olsen shot Anthony Hill, a veteran of the Afghanistan War who had been medically discharged from the U.S. Air Force after being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and bi-polar disorder. Hill, according to family and friends, was having trouble adjusting to his medication, which they blame for his actions on March 9, 2015.

Olsen arrived at the Chamblee apartment complex where Hill lived after neighbors called 911 reporting his strange behavior. Hill had climbed down from his second-story apartment nude and was roaming through the complex.

After watching for several moments in a marked police car, Olsen got out of the vehicle when he noticed Hill approaching him. Olsen told him to stop but Hill continued approaching the officer, who claimed he felt his safety was threatened.

Prosecutors say Hill had his hands in the air as he moved toward the officer, who was armed with pepper spray and a Taser. He chose instead to shoot Hill twice in torso from about five feet away.

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