Former DeKalb cop granted bond in case of fatal shooting
A DeKalb County judge granted bond to a former police officer whose conviction for the fatal shooting of a naked, unarmed mentally ill war veteran was overturned on appeal.
Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson on Monday set a $50,000 bond for Robert “Chip” Olsen who was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault for the March 2015 shooting of Anthony Hill. Olsen has been behind bars for more than four years.
Hill, an aspiring singer, was acting erratically because he was not taking his medications. Olsen, who said he acted in self-defense, fired the fatal shots as Hill ran toward him, ignoring his commands to stop.
A DeKalb grand jury indicted Olsen for murder but a jury acquitted Olsen of murder and instead convicted him of aggravated assault.
In March, the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed that conviction after determining prosecutors should not have been allowed to put into evidence the the DeKalb police department’s use of force policy because parts of it are at odds with Georgia’s law governing self-defense. The DeKalb DA’s office is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn that decision.
During the brief hearing on Monday, one of Olsen’s attorneys, Amanda Clark Palmer, argued that Olsen should be released on bond pending that appeal. “He’s not going to be a danger to anyone if released on an appeal bond,” she said.
DeKalb prosecutor Pete Johnson opposed the bond.
“Officer Olsen shot a naked, unarmed man in the middle of a mental health crisis,” he said. “ ... I think we can still look at the reality.”
Giving victim impact testimony, Hill’s mother, Carolyn Giummo, also asked that Olsen remain in custody.
Losing her son has been extremely traumatic, she said. And she said she missed “his smile, his laughter, his singing and his compassion and love for people, his compassion and love for me. Those are some of the things I won’t experience anymore.”
Dear Jackson’s decision to grant bond was not unexpected. Olsen had been granted bond pending his murder trial and was granted bond once again after he was convicted and awaiting sentencing. On both of those occasions, he met all the bond conditions and never missed a court appearance, Clark Palmer noted.
Dear Jackson imposed restrictions on Olsen’s new $50,000 bond. He must wear an ankle monitor, have a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and not travel more than 100 miles from his home.
Olsen, who watched the virtual hearing from a state prison, also was convicted at trial for violating his oath of office for making a false statement to police after the fatal shooting. He did not appeal his conviction on that count, for which he was sentenced to five years’ probation.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
