DECATUR, Ga. — A white police officer was indicted by a DeKalb County grand jury on felony murder charges after he shot and killed a naked and unarmed black man in suburban Atlanta nearly a year ago.
Anthony Hill, 26, was an Afghanistan war veteran who was said to be suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome), when a call was made on March 9 about him running around outside his apartment complex naked and acting very strange, but was not armed. Hill, who served in the U.S. Air Force, had reportedly developed a history of mental health issues following his service during the war in the foreign country.
DeKalb County police officer James Olsen was indicted Thursday on murder charges in the fatal shooting of Anthony Hill, a U.S. Air Force veteran. Olsen claimed that when he was dispatched, Hill charged and attacked him and left him no choice but to administer deadly force.
The DeKalb County grand jury indicted DeKalb County police Officer James Olsen on two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, one count of making a false statement, and two counts of violation of oath by a public officer, DeKalb District Attorney Robert James announced.
James said Olsen becomes the first Georgia law enforcement officer in five years prosecuted for fatally shooting a civilian while on duty.
Hill’s killing led to protests in Atlanta that mirrored nationwide demonstrations over race, policing and excessive force in recent police killings. A group, #RiseUpAtlanta, had camped out in the below freezing weather all week while the grand jury proceedings was underway.
The girlfriend posted a message on the indictment.
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