The family of a 26-year-old man shot to death earlier this month by U.S. Marshals is asking for a federal investigation after uncovering evidence they say raises questions about the police actions.
Jamarion Robinson was killed in a shootout with the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force as officers tried to arrest him on Aug. 5 at his girlfriend's apartment in East Point. More than 90 rounds were fired in the apartment and Robinson was shot more than 20 times, according to his family's attorney, Mawuli Davis.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate the incident and collected bullets and shell casings at the scene as well as interviewing roughly a dozen law enforcement officers involved in the incident. The Marshals have said they shot Robinson, who was armed, after he refused to drop his weapon and threatened officers, including firing his gun.
But Davis said GBI agents missed critical evidence at the crime scene that his investigator found, including a pair of bullets buried in the floor where Robinson stood during the encounter. Davis said the bullets appear to have been fired straight into the floor, raising the possibility that officers stood over Robinson and fired during part of the encounter.
“These are very troubling facts that lead this family to call for justice,” Davis said.
While Davis’s ballistics expert found the bullets likely came from a 9 mm gun like those used by law enforcement officers, he could not determine the trajectory of the bullets.
GBI spokesman Scott Dutton said of the more 90 shots fired, investigators identified roughly three attributed to Robinson’s gun. Dutton said agents tried to recover all the bullets and shell casings, but in a case with so many shots fired it’s not unusual not to locate every piece of evidence. He said investigators had told the family if they find anything else to contact them.
The final medical examiner’s report is expected next week, but “preliminary information from the medical examiner is there’s no indication of any close range shots or a gunshot to the head,”Dutton said.Task force supervisor Jim Joyner said in addition to the GBI inquiry, the Marshals are conducting an internal investigation into the shooting. He said the Marshals welcome anyone to investigate the shooting. He said his officers have nothing to hide.
“There is nothing to be covered up or kept in the dark about this shooting,” he said.
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