CHAMBLEE, Ga. — The moments right after a policeofficer killed a naked, unarmed black man last week have new clarity thanks to a cellphone video made available exclusively to WXIA-TV.
The video, recorded by a resident of the apartment complex where Dekalb County Officer Robert Olsen shot Air Force veteran Anthony Hill twice, shows Olsen walking around Hill's body and talking to witnesses. He appears to be the only officer on the scene for 2½ minutes when another officer arrives.
Olsen appears to be explaining what happened before sirens can be heard in the distance and two emergency medical technicians walk over.
Previous witnesses have said that Hill, 27, was knocking on apartment doors in the suburban Atlanta complex where he lived and crawling around on the ground naked.
A lawyer who is representing Hill's mother said that Hill had psychological problems, including bipolar disorder, arising from his service in Afghanistan. His family has said that he was on medication but didn't know whether he had had his medicine March 9, the day he was shot.
Early in the video, Olsen asks a bystander, "Are you serious?" when the man tries to get too close to Hill's body. Olsen then directs the man to step back.
He also asks two witnesses what they saw then separates them.
DeKalb County Police Officer Robert Olsen has been identified as having fatally shot a black, unarmed and naked man at an apartment complex March 9, 2015.
Photo Credit: DeKalb County Police Department
A criminal defense lawyer and former police officer, Philip Holloway, said he thinks Olsen was doing the best he could after the shooting.
"He knows what's coming. He knows this is going to be investigated very thoroughly," Holloway said. "He's doing his best to preserve the scene and separate witnesses so they don't co-mingle their stories, so that investigators can get to the truth."
Holloway looked at a still frame that shows Olsen kneeling next to the body.
"This shows an officer who is heartbroken about the human tragedy that has just unfolded," Holloway said. "It gives some insight into what was going through his head at the time of the shooting."
The big question now is why Olsen didn't use less-than-lethal force, Holloway said. Olsen's Taser can be seen on his utility belt in the video.
Since the shooting, protesters have called for better mental-health training for officers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the case and will turn over its findings to the Dekalb County District Attorney's Office.
