The DeKalb County district attorney has scheduled a press conference for 7:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the grand jury proceedings in the case of a county police officer who shot and killed a naked civilian.
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Hill’s family in November filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the DeKalb County Police Department, Olsen, the county and its board of commissioners.
Olsen told a civil grand jury a year ago that Hill was coming at him in a hostile manner and disobeyed commands to stop, making him feel threatened.
The district attorney will ask a Grand Jury to indict the officer for murder. Officer Robert Olsen was indicted on six counts, including two felony murder counts, after prosecutors presented eight hours of evidence; a judge issued a warrant for his arrest Thursday.
By way of a New York Times report, Hill’s mother said was she was “speechless” and “glad” that the jury saw the case in their favor as she emerged from the courthouse. Officers also get a 15-day notice when the government decides to seek an indictment against them. “It’s up to the Grand Jury, but he’s taken that step towards that”.
Hill, a U.S. Air Force veteran who suffered from bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, was having a manic episode when he was shot to death while naked in the parking lot of his apartment building, according to his family. Samuel said Olsen spoke before the grand jury for about 20 minutes.
The felony murder counts do not indicate malice, but rather that Olsen killed someone during the commission of another felony, in this case aggravated assault or violation of his oath of office, James said.
The grand jury ruled to indict Olsen despite the challenge posed by Georgia’s legal protections for law enforcement officers, which are among the strongest protections enjoyed by officers in the whole country. The district attorney is not allowed to say anything in response.
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Brandon Marshall carries a photo of Anthony Hill as protesters march through the street demonstrating Hill’s shooting death by a police officer, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Decatur, Ga.
