Two Officers Charged with Killing Man Shot 76 Times – No Body Camera Footage

Two Officers Charged with Killing Man Shot 76 Times – No Body Camera Footage

In August 2016, Jamarion Robinson, 26, was killed in a hail of gunfire by two Atlanta-area law enforcement officers as they tried to arrest him. His family has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. Marshals Service and several of those involved in the shooting.

Five years later, those two officers, U.S. Deputy Marshal Eric A. Heinze, 44, and Clayton County Police Officer Kristopher L. Hutchens, 47, were charged with felony murder. They were also charged with aggravated assault, burglary, making false statements, and violation of their public officer oaths.

They are two of the sixteen law enforcement officers who showed up to arrest Robinson. A third officer involved in the shooting has since died.

The officers were members of a felony task force attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Robinson. They told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Robinson fired a handgun at them 2 or 3 times after they broke down the door of his girlfriend’s apartment in East Point.

Robinson was wanted on charges of aggravated assault on a police officer and attempted arson.

According to Robinson’s family, he was suffering from schizophrenia. He also had 59 entry wounds and 17 exit wounds to his body. His body was so riddled with bullets there was not much left intact.

Three Minutes of Gunfire Captured on a Cellphone

The three minutes of gunfire that ensued once officers broke down the door were captured by cellphone video from outside the apartment. The Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Robinson was shot 76 times.

A private investigator hired by Robinson’s family found two bullets apparently fired straight down to where his body was lying.

No Body Cameras

There is no body camera footage of the incident. U.S. Marshals are not required to wear body cameras. Marshals work for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which has funded $20 million to local police departments for body camera purchases, but the DOJ’s own law enforcement officers do not receive them.

Although officers at the scene should have had dash cameras on their vehicles, the police department said they were driving new squad cars not yet equipped with dash cams.

In Need of Mental Health Assistance

Just a few weeks before his death, Robinson had poured gasoline on the floor of his mother’s bedroom and beneath his own bed. A friend stopped him before he went any further, according to the arrest warrant. His mother, Monteria Robinson, called for mental health assistance for her son, not to have him arrested.

She does not know why so many officers were involved in the later attempt to arrest her son or why a mental health professional was not brought to the scene. Officers were aware of Robinson’s mental health issues.

At the time of his death, Robinson was planning to return to Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he was a college football player.

To see if you have a case, call us 866.836.4684 or Connect Online. All inquiries are protected by the attorney – client privilege and kept confidential. There is never any charge for initial consultations. Cases are handled on a contingent fee basis.

Share

Related topics: civil rights violation (29)


Recent articles: