Update (November 4, 2019): The former Georgia police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man in March 2015 was sentenced to 22 years in prison and 8 years probation, the Associated Press reported.

Robert Olsen was responding to a call of a naked man “behaving erratically” at an Atlanta-area apartment complex when he shot and killed Anthony Hill, the Associated Press noted.

Hill was a Black Air Force veteran who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD.

Olsen, who is white, was convicted of one count of aggravated assault, two counts of violating his oath of office and one count of making a false statement.

Jurors acquitted him on two counts of felony murder. Prosecutors had requested 25 years in prison followed by five years on probation, while Olsen’s defense attorneys asked for five years in prison, AP reports.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson, who is Black, sentenced Olsen to prison. He is now prohibited from working in law enforcement, possessing firearms or profiting from the case, CNN reported.

The judge praised Hill’s family for their “strength, compassion and fortitude” during the trial, CNN noted. She also reportedly said Olsen, despite criticism of his demeanor, showed remorse for his actions.

“Many might have thought you were stoic and void of emotion,” the judge told Olsen, according to CNN. “From the time opening statements started, I saw the tears that you’ve had. I saw how you replayed March 9, 2015, in your head.”

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said she is glad that Olsen will be held accountable.

“A badge, a uniform, a gun [is] not a license to shoot and kill with impunity,” she said, the Associated Press reported.

CNN reported that prosecutors said Olsen could have used other forms of force to handle Hill and limit the violent encounter.

After the sentencing, defense attorney Amanda Clark Palmer spoke about the decision.

“We cannot say it is an unfair sentence, and we appreciate [the judge’s] thoughtfulness,” the Associated Press reported.

The defense lawyer also said Olsen’s wife read a statement to the court saying that her husband will “think about Anthony Hill every day for the rest of his life.”

Olsen did not address the court after the sentencing, according to an 11Alive broadcast.

CNN reported that Hill’s girlfriend previously told the court that he had stopped taking his medication shortly before his death and struggled to get assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs.


Original (October 14, 2019): Almost five years after shooting and killing 26-year-old Afghanistan war veteran Anthony Hill, former Georgia police officer Robert Olsen was acquitted of two murder charges by a jury on Monday.

Despite letting him off for the murder charges, the jury convicted Olsen of aggravated assault, making false statements and two counts of violation of oath of office.

Hill, a Black military veteran, was experiencing a mental health episode in March 2015 when someone in his apartment building called the police. The woman told 911 that Hill was naked and knocking on doors. In later interviews, the woman said she did not think Hill was dangerous and just wanted someone to help him. 

However, Olsen showed up, and within seconds, Hill was dead. Through his bodycam, the jury heard Olsen lie to backup officers about the situation, telling them Hill "was pounding on him." The bodycam video, however, shows Olsen shot Hill well before he could have reached him.

A former girlfriend of Hill told CNN he was constantly seeking mental health help from the Department of Veterans Affairs but struggled to get the care he needed.

He was suffering from PTSD and bipolar disorder and had been off of his medication for about a month before his death. 

Throughout his time in Afghanistan, Hill received seven medals from the US Air Force including the Bronze Leaf for running into an explosion to save a group of children. 

Olsen had been with the DeKalb County Police Department for seven years before shooting and killing Hill. 

The shooting set off huge protests in 2016 led by local Black Lives Matter group members in Atlanta who demanded Olsen be convicted of all six charges.

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