Former officer who shot naked man says he was being attacked

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Kate Brumback, Associated Press
Updated 3:06 pm, Monday, May 21, 2018

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A white former Atlanta-area police officer who fatally shot an unarmed, naked, mentally ill black veteran said he was being attacked when he fired on the man.

Robert Olsen took the stand Monday during a pretrial hearing in DeKalb County Superior Court. He faces charges including felony murder in the March 2015 shooting death of 27-year-old Anthony Hill.

Olsen was a DeKalb County police officer and was responding to a call about a naked man behaving erratically outside a suburban Atlanta apartment complex.

Olsen testified that Hill sprinted toward him and didn't slow down when the officer ordered him to stop. Olsen said he fired when Hill was 3 to 5 feet away.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Former-officer-who-shot-naked-man-says-he-was-12931866.php

[rurallib]

1. A naked unarmed man was running at him and the only way

a policeman in full gear could have stopped him was to shoot him?
How the hell did that guy ever get hired?

Couldn't trip him or clothesline him or simply tackle him? Not to mention the stun gun or pepper spray...............

[RKP5637]

3. Hmmmm - I guess for some cops non-lethal means just aren't fashionable these days.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

2. Couldn't

have just stepped aside? Tripped the guy? etc?

[MosheFeingold]

9. Fights are not that easy

When I was a beat cop (shortly after WWII), I worked in a tough area of NYC. I carried a little gun (a .38 police special) and a big piece of wood, just shy of a bat. I was not (and really am not now, even in my dotage) a small man. Well over six feet and 250lbs of solid ghetto kid who knew how to fight, and boxed or lifted weights every day but Shabbos.

Some crazy dude attacks, I could safely assume I could beat the crap out of him (which was 1940s for "non-lethal force&quot .

At the time, pretty much all cops were like me.

Now, I know we need to include all people, including women in the police force. But it's a physical job at its essence. And you need physical people.

Getting away from sheer physicality, in my opinion, why there has been such an increase in lethal events. It's not like we were less racist in 1940s NYC. Way worse. But shootings were rare (especially in this kind of incident).

But, we could (and did) physically beat the crap out of someone that needed the crap beat out of them (um, I meant "need to be subdued until no longer a threat", Sergent).

Now, with smaller, less fit, cops, they do have to resort to the pistol much faster.

Just my $.02.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

11. Been in many fights old boy.

For many reasons. AND found deescalation and restraint+seclusion to be often most effective. At some point a cops gotta understand....theres going to be some scrapes and bruising. Part of the job.
If your'e "smaller and less fit" be a corrections officer.

[marble falls]

4. As long as sticks to "I was afraid for my life and I protected myself", he will get off....

we need to change this law.

[HopeAgain]

5. Is that code for

It was only a black man? 'Cause we all know that's what really gets them off.

[marble falls]

6. For this defense a black body is icing on the cake.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Racist white cops don't see black men as "humans"

they can only see "animals" in their twisted brains and their only reflex reaction, well-honed in their training (where they train to shoot at mugshots of black suspects), is to "shoot it until it stops moving".

[laserhaas]

8. Policeman must be a midget

And the naked man must have had really big hands ...and..

No way that thing is touching him

Blam, glam, blam

[uppityperson]

10. Maybe he could've gotten back into the car? And not lied to the next responding officer?

[luc mont]

12. A Touch of Homophobia?

As in, "OMG this naked man is running toward me!"

[rpannier]

13. From the bottom of the story

Prosecutors called Officer Lyn Anderson, the second officer to arrive on the scene. He testified that Olsen told him when he arrived that Hill ran at him and "started pounding on him." Olsen testified that he didn't recall that conversation.

[truthisfreedom]

14. SPSNBC

some people should not be cops