(DeKalb County Police)
Master Officer Robert Olsen has been identified by police as the officer who fatally shot 27-year-old Anthony Hill in DeKalb County, Georgia, according to WXIA-TV.
Hill was killed at the apartment complex where he lives in Chamblee. He was naked and unarmed at the time of the shooting, police said. Hill was an Air Force veteran with a history of mental illness, according to his social media posts and family.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Olsen Has Been Placed on Administrative Leave
DeKalb County Director of Public Safety Cedric Alexander said Olsen is on leave until the investigation, which is being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is completed. Olsen is a seven-year veteran of the DeKalb force, according to Alexander.
2. The Officer Shot Hill Twice as He Came Towards Him
The shooting happened at about 1 p.m. at an apartment complex in Chamblee, where the victim lived, DeKalb County Director of Public Safety Cedric Alexander said during a news conference recorded by Fox 5 Atlanta. Alexander did not identify the shooting victim, but Hill was identified by the Times and by family on social media.
A 911 caller reported that a man was acting “deranged, knocking on doors and crawling around on the ground, naked,” Alexander said. “The caller reported the male had taken off all his clothes and was just running throughout the entire complex.”
Alexander said the first officer to respond to the scene, later identified as Olsen, saw Hill in the parking lot area. Olsen said Hill charged, running at him. “The officer called for him to stop, while running backwards, drew his weapon and fired two shots,” Alexander said. Olsen attempted to provide aid to Hill, but he died at the scene. Hill was shot in the “upper torso,” Alexander said.
A witness, 43-year-old Pedro Castillo, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex, told the New York Times on Tuesday that Hill had his hands up in the air when he approached the officer. Castillo said Hill was on all fours in the parking lot when the officer arrived, parking his squad car “a good distance away,” according to the Times report.
Castillo told the Times that it didn’t seem like Olsen had to shoot Hill, but did need to defend himself. Other witnesses said they had seen Hill earlier, and he was acting strange. One witness said an employee of the complex tried to calm Hill, hugging him for “some time,” the Times reported. Another witness said the officer appeared “very scared.”
3.Olsen Was Armed With a Taser
Alexander said the officer was armed with a Taser. He declined to comment when asked if the officer should have used the stun gun instead of shooting Hill, saying “we need to wait and see what the outcome of the investigation is.” He said he doesn’t know “what measure or countermeasures the officers may have taken,” stating that more will be learned from witness statements and physical evidence taken from the scene.
4. Hill Was Bipolar
(Facebook)
According to posts Hill made on social media, he was bipolar.
I am thankful to be something other than normal.
I don’t fight my circumstance,
I embrace it.
I love myself.
Always
In another recent post, he referenced the character Andre from the FOX TV show Empire, who is bipolar:
In his final Facebook post, Hill wrote Monday morning, “Where i once saw death i only see life.”
Alexander said during his press conference that officers do receive some training in how to handle those with mental health issues, but did not provide specifics. He added that the department is trying to provide more training for those situations.
5. Another DeKalb Officer is Being Investigated After a Controversial Fatal Shooting in December
A 44-year-old man, Kevin Davis, was shot and killed by DeKalb Officer Joseph Pitts in December after the man called 911 for help, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.’
According to the newspaper’s report, Davis, who had not criminal history, called 911 Dec. 29 and said a man had stabbed his girlfriend. When an officer arrived at the apartment, he was met by a large dog, according to the report. After the officer, Pitts, shot the dog, Davis came outside holding a gun, police said. The officer told Davis to put the gun down multiple times and shot him when he did not. Police didn’t say that Davis pointed the gun at Pitts.
Davis died two days later. His girlfriend survived and a co-worker of Davis, who had been staying at the home, was charged with her stabbing, according to AlterNet.
That case was also turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in February for an independent examination after pressure from Davis’ family and protesters. The officer was cleared to return to duty, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Monday’s shooting also comes days after Tony Robinson’s death in Madison sparked days of outrage and protests and brought the issue of police violence in the U.S. back to the forefront.
