2 Officers Are Charged With Murdering Man Who Was Shot Nearly 60 Times

Two Atlanta-area instrumentality enforcement officers were charged this week with felony execution for their roles successful a confrontation successful 2016 with an equipped antheral who was changeable astir 60 times arsenic they tried to apprehension him, according to tribunal documents.

The officers — identified successful an indictment arsenic Eric A. Heinze, a lawman U.S. marshal, and Kristopher L. Hutchens, a Clayton County constabulary serviceman — were members of a fugitive task unit that had been serving an apprehension warrant for the man, Jamarion Robinson.

The task unit members told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that Mr. Robinson had fired a handgun astatine them 2 oregon 3 times connected Aug. 5, 2016, aft the officers broke done the doorway of his girlfriend’s flat successful East Point, Ga., a Fulton County suburb of Atlanta.

Mr. Robinson, 26, had been wanted connected charges of attempted arson and aggravated battle of a constabulary officer, according to the officers, who said that helium inactive refused to driblet his weapon aft being shot. Three task unit members changeable astatine Mr. Robinson, authorities investigators said.

The household of Mr. Robinson, which said helium had schizophrenia, has contested instrumentality enforcement accounts of what happened that afternoon. The fatal shooting of Mr. Robinson, who was Black, touched disconnected protests implicit radical injustice and excessive force, straining relations betwixt section instrumentality enforcement authorities and their national partners.

Mr. Robinson’s relatives said that his assemblage had been riddled with 59 introduction wounds and 17 exit wounds earlier it was dragged down a formation of stairs — successful what relatives described arsenic grounds tampering. The officers continued shooting Mr. Robinson aft utilizing a concussion grenade known arsenic a flash-bang that had burned him, his mother, Monteria Robinson, said successful an interrogation connected Wednesday.

“Someone stood implicit my lad and changeable down into his body,” Ms. Robinson said. “They each accidental that my lad fell to the ground, truthful wherefore did they sprout different 80 oregon much volleys astatine my son?”

A spokesperson for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Wednesday.

The 21-page indictment, which was returned by a expansive assemblage successful Fulton County connected Tuesday, did not elaborate connected the quality of the charges against the 2 officers oregon their actions.

In summation to 2 counts each of felony murder, Mr. Heinze, 44, and Mr. Hutchens, 47, were charged with aggravated battle with a deadly weapon, first-degree burglary, 2 counts of making mendacious statements and 2 counts of violating the oath of a nationalist officer.

Mr. Heinze and Mr. Hutchens did not instantly respond to requests for remark connected Wednesday. It was not wide whether they had lawyers. Their presumption arsenic instrumentality enforcement officers was besides not clear.

The U.S. Marshals Service did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Wednesday, and a spokeswoman for the Clayton County Police Department did not instantly comment.

At the clip of Mr. Robinson’s death, helium had been preparing to re-enroll astatine Tuskegee University successful Alabama, wherever helium had played football, his parent said. For much than 5 years, she said, she had been pressing prosecutors successful Georgia to measurement charges against the officers progressive successful the fatal shooting.

“They conscionable recovered a parent who fought back,” Ms. Robinson said. “I wasn’t taking their mendacious narrative. The expansive assemblage saw close done the lies arsenic well.”

Mr. Robinson’s household credited Fani T. Willis, who past twelvemonth became the first Black pistillate to beryllium elected arsenic Fulton County’s territory attorney, for bringing the lawsuit to a expansive jury.

Ms. Robinson said that she had hired a backstage researcher and enlisted the assistance of the noted forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to question justness for her son. She disputes the contention that helium had opened occurrence connected the officers.

“Do I judge that helium changeable astatine them?” she said. “No, I bash not.”

Ms. Robinson, 53, said that a 3rd serviceman who was progressive successful her son’s shooting had since died.

In 2018, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Paul Howard, the Fulton County territory lawyer astatine the time, was suing the Justice Department implicit its nonaccomplishment to disclose accusation astir the shooting of Mr. Robinson.

Mr. Robinson’s household has besides filed a suit successful national tribunal against the Marshals Service and respective task unit members implicit the fatal shooting. The Atlanta subdivision of the N.A.A.C.P. has been supporting the family’s efforts.

“When you look successful that location and you spot the carnage that was left, that was thing much than an execution,” Gerald A. Griggs, a lawyer for the N.A.A.C.P. successful Atlanta and the archetypal vice president of the organization’s section branch, said successful an interrogation connected Wednesday.

Jesus Jiménez contributed reporting and Susan Beachy contributed research.