Note to readers: This article contains disturbing descriptions of a shooting death.
Jamarion Robinson’s unresponsive body was handcuffed and dragged down a flight of stairs as he bled to death from nearly five dozen gunshot wounds inside his girlfriend’s apartment, according to testimony and photographs shared in federal court Thursday.
The 26-year-old allegedly pointed a gun at members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force who had come to arrest him, prompting three officers to open fire as Robinson stood on the second floor of the East Point home.
Two of those task force officers — Eric Heinze and Kristopher Hutchens — are charged with murder and other crimes in the August 2016 shooting. A third member, Daniel Doyle, died of cancer in 2020 and was never charged.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
In the second day of their federal immunity hearing, the GBI agent who processed the crime scene was called to the stand to explain what he saw that afternoon as he took hundreds of photographs.
Robinson’s blood spattered on the wall and carpet of the upstairs landing, and photos showed a trail of blood leading down the stairs and into the living room where a Clayton County medic tried in vain to treat him.
Bullets ripped through walls, bedrooms and a closet door as the task force officers unloaded their weapons, which included a Glock pistol and two submachine guns, according to testimony. Authorities say Robinson also fired down the stairs, managing to get off two rounds from his .380-caliber handgun before his body was riddled with bullets.
“His hands and arms were shot to bits,” said prosecutor Natalie Adams. “His bones were so shattered and broken that he literally lost 3 inches off his height.”
Evidence shows the task force members fired nearly 100 rounds into the apartment. When the GBI was called in to begin its investigation that afternoon, there were so many bullets and bullet fragments lodged in the walls that Special Agent Josh Ellis said they weren’t all collected. Bullet holes were also discovered in an adjacent apartment.
Authorities began searching for Robinson after he poured gasoline outside his mother’s bedroom door on July 11, 2016, and weeks later aimed a gun at two Atlanta police officers responding to a call about a suspicious person at an apartment complex, records show. Those officers opened fire, but Robinson got away.
Attorneys for Heinze and Hutchens say the task force members were acting within the scope of their federal duties and in self-defense when they fatally shot Robinson nearly seven years ago. The pair were indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in late 2021, but the murder case was moved to federal court last year since they were part of a federal task force.
At the time of the shooting, Heinze was the Assistant Chief Inspector for the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Hutchens, a Clayton County police officer, was assigned to the task force. Both men remain employed by their respective agencies and have since received promotions.
Prosecutors allege the task force members used excessive force against Robinson and never had a warrant to enter the apartment in the first place. Defense attorneys contend the men did what they had to in order protect themselves and their fellow officers.
“It was a chaotic scene. It was a frightening scene for everybody involved,” Hutchens’ attorney, Don Samuel said. “You can’t point a gun at a police officer who’s trying to arrest you. You just can’t do that.”
A longtime ATF agent who serves on the U.S. Marshals shooting review board testified the officers’ use of force was justified because Robinson came down the stairs with a gun pointed at task force members as they tried to arrest him. Paul Massock said Robinson “presented an immediate threat” to the officers, which justified deadly force under Department of Justice policy.
Asked about the number of shots fired by police that afternoon, Massock said officers are trained to continue shooting until they’re no longer in danger.
“Had he opened the door and presented himself, he would have been taken into custody and the operation would have been over,” Massock said.
A former GBI firearms expert testified that Robinson’s gun jammed during the encounter, likely because it was damaged by an officer’s bullet. Blood collected from the Hi-Point pistol matched Robinson’s DNA, a GBI analysis found.
Robinson’s family and supporters held a rally outside the federal courthouse Thursday night, chanting and carrying signs as some of the attorneys watched from above. Among those who spoke were his mother, Monteria Robinson, Georgia NAACP president Gerald Griggs and Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Lewis.
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Credit: Shaddi Abusaid / shaddi.abusaid@ajc.com
Monteria Robinson said she had seen autopsy photos of her son. But she hadn’t seen the pictures of him lying dead on the living room floor, his hands cuffed behind him and his shirt cut open to reveal numerous gunshot wounds to his torso.
“They just dragged him down the stairs step by step by step,” she said. “I need for the world to know what happened to my son.”
U.S. District Judge Victoria Calvert said the officers’ immunity hearing will take at least two more days. Those dates will be scheduled for sometime in late June.
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