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Accident – Death – Obituary News :
Details of the Incident in Atlanta, Georgia
In a recent development in Atlanta, Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals has overturned the convictions of a former DeKalb County police officer in connection to the tragic death of an unarmed man suffering from a mental health crisis. According to court documents, the officer, Robert Olsen, had been convicted of aggravated assault and violation of oath by a public officer in relation to the incident.
Reversal of Convictions
Robert Olsen’s convictions on the charges of aggravated assault and violation of oath by a public officer have been reversed by the Georgia Court of Appeals following his appeal. These convictions were linked to the 2015 death of Anthony Hill, who was unarmed and experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident. Originally, Olsen had faced charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, making a false statement, and violation of oath by a public officer. However, a jury acquitted him of the felony murder charges, and the false statement charge was merged into another count.
Errors in the Trial Court
In his appeal, Olsen argued that the trial court had made several errors regarding the admission and treatment of the DeKalb County Police Department’s use of force policy (UFP). The court found that although the evidence supported Olsen’s conviction on aggravated assault, it was legally insufficient for the crime of violation of oath by a public officer based on a violation of the UFP.
Details of the Shooting Incident
The shooting incident took place in March 2015 at an apartment complex in Atlanta, Georgia. Olsen had responded to a 911 call reporting a suspicious person, later identified as Anthony Hill. Witnesses described Hill as behaving erratically, lying face down on the concrete, and eventually removing all his clothes before making his way to a balcony. Olsen encountered Hill crouching in the grass between two apartment buildings, naked and not responding to commands to stop.
When Hill began running towards Olsen, the officer drew his service weapon and fired two shots, fatally injuring Hill. Subsequent investigation revealed that Olsen had falsely reported to backup officers that Hill had attacked him before he fired his weapon. Olsen maintained that he acted in self-defense during the incident.
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