Olsen shot Anthony Hill on March 9 while responding to a call of a man behaving erratically outside a suburban Atlanta apartment complex.
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The New York Times is reporting DA Robert James Jr. will ask a grand jury to indict Officer Robert Olsen on criminal charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and violation of oath of office.
A Georgia prosecutor said Thursday that he would seek a murder indictment against the Atlanta-area police officer who fatally shot Anthony Hill, a Moncks Corner native who ran after him last spring while naked and unarmed.
[James] has been very meticulous and calculated in his work on this case.
James’ decision to bring it to a grand jury is a step closer to justice, she said, adding that she hopes the grand jurors will agree that charges are appropriate.
DeKalb County police spokesman Maj. Olsen could not be reached for comment. Hill’s family says he was diagnosed as bipolar and had stopped taking some of his medication. Civil grand juries can not bring charges, but have been used by some district attorneys to allow citizen input in cases involving use of force by law enforcement. Authorities said the naked man, Hill, lunged at Officer Olsen in a threatening manner.
In October, a grand jury recommended further investigation into the incident. James said he would begin presenting the case to the grand jury on 21 January.
Olsen and his attorney were notified of the action late on Wednesday, James said.
Hill’s family in November filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the DeKalb County Police Department, Olsen, the county and its board of commissioners. “But I think this issue resonates with him”, Chestnut said.
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From the start, James has been under mounting pressure from civil rights groups around the country to charge Officer Olsen. A civil grand jury recommended against charges, but James said he planned to review that case as well.
