Prosecutors in DeKalb County, Ga., will seek a criminal indictment of the police officer who last year fatally shot Anthony Hill, an Afghanistan war veteran who was naked and unarmed when he was killed, reports the Washington Post. DeKalb District Attorney Robert James will recommend charges against officer Robert Olsen on two counts of felony murder, two counts of violation of an officer's oath, aggravated assault and making a false statement. Hill, 27, was allegedly behaving erratically when Olsen shot and killed him, one of several deadly shootings of unarmed black men nationally that gained attention last year and sparked widespread protests.
Police were responding to a call about a suspicious person. Bystander videos and photos show Hill was naked, climbing on the sides of his apartment building prior to the shooting. Police have said that Hill then charged at Olsen, who shot and killed him. Hill's family, which has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, says he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was bipolar. They say Hill was having an emotional breakdown when he was killed and that they do not believe Hill charged at Olsen; instead that he may have been approaching the officer for help. They also want to know why the officer did not use a stun gun. If Olsen is charged, his would be the ninth on-duty fatal police shooting in 2015 that resulted in criminal charges for the officer involved, about three times the annual average of the number of officers who had been indicted during the prior decade.