Testimony concluded Thursday in the federal immunity hearing for two fugitive task force officers accused of murder and other crimes in the 2016 shooting of Jamarion Robinson, whose body was riddled with nearly five dozen bullets.
The 26-year-old was killed after allegedly firing at members of a U.S. marshals unit when they tried to arrest him at his girlfriend’s East Point apartment.
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Eric Heinze and Kristopher Hutchens on murder and burglary charges in late 2021. The case was moved to federal court last year after a judge determined both men were acting in their federal capacity at the time.
Defense attorneys contend the officers followed their training and the law by defending themselves and their colleagues the afternoon of Aug. 5, 2016, when nearly 100 rounds were fired into the home. Though they had a warrant for Robinson’s arrest, prosecutors contend the task force needed a search warrant to enter the home.
Credit: Family photo
Credit: Family photo
Multiple defense witnesses testified that was not the case since the task force officers confirmed Robinson was hiding in the apartment and had been there several days.
Robinson’s mother, Monteria Robinson, delivered an emotional victim impact statement Thursday.
“Imagine your life in my shoes,” she told U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert. “I’m always crying. I’m always sad. I’m always mad.”
For years, Monteria Robinson and her supporters urged Fulton prosecutors to charge the task force officers who shot Jamarion. Daniel Doyle, a third officer who opened fire that day, died of cancer in March 2020 and was never charged.
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Monteria Robinson said her son adored his family and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in the months before he was killed.
“What they did to my son, no human being should ever have to experience,” Monteria Robinson said. “Like anyone with mental health issues, Jamarion had his battles, but he was not a monster and he deserved to live.”
Heinze took the stand Wednesday morning, testifying that Robinson pointed a gun at law enforcement.
“I was in fear of my life and lives of my co-workers,” said Heinze, who went in first with his ballistic shield and a semi-automatic pistol. Hutchens and Doyle were armed with submachine guns.
Authorities began searching for Robinson after he poured gasoline outside his mother’s bedroom on July 11, 2016, and weeks later aimed a gun at two Atlanta police officers responding to a call about a suspicious person squatting at an apartment complex, records show. He escaped both times, prompting the search that ended in his death.
Heinze described Robinson as a flight risk with a propensity for violence, particularly against law enforcement.
“Two violent incidents in a relatively short span,” Heinze said while on the stand. “In my opinion, he was escalating in violence.”
He also said he and his colleagues did no more than what was “reasonably necessary” to protect themselves that day.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
None of of the task force officers had body cameras. In cellphone video filmed by a neighbor, what sounds like three automatic rounds could be heard after a flashbang device was deployed inside the home.
Officers told the GBI that Robinson was unresponsive to the flashbang, meaning he was probably unconscious or dead. They also said they didn’t remember anyone firing after the device was deployed. An East Point officer who was at the scene told the GBI she remembered hearing shots afterward, however.
Heinze and Hutchens are still employed by their respective agencies and have since received promotions, according to their attorneys. Heinze is an assistant chief inspector for the marshals service. Hutchens is a Clayton County police officer assigned to the regional fugitive task force.
In lieu of closing arguments, both sides agreed to file briefs in the coming weeks. Calvert will then decide whether to grant Heinze and Doyle immunity from prosecution in the case.
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