The former DeKalb County police officer charged in the 2015 fatal shooting of a naked, unarmed Air Force veteran has accepted a plea deal to aggravated assault charges.
Robert “Chip” Olsen, 63, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault May 28 and will not face additional jail time, NBC News reported. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson sentenced him to 15 years, with 12 years credited as time served and the remainder to be served on probation. The ex-cop was also ordered to serve 100 hours of community service.
“No one would say that they are happy about any aspect of this case; it was a tragedy all the way around, but today’s resolution will bring closure to the case,” Olsen’s lawyers, Amanda Clark Palmer and Don Samuel, said in a statement. “We are relieved that our client will not serve any additional time in custody.”
Olsen was responding to reports of a naked man acting erratically at an apartment complex near Atlanta in March 2015 when he fatally shot Anthony Hill, 26, a Black Air Force veteran diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD. When he arrived at the scene, Hill was wandering the complex unclothed.
Investigators said Hill approached Olsen with his arms outstretched as Olsen arrived in his patrol car. Olsen got out, drew his gun, and ordered Hill to stop, but when Hill didn’t respond, Olsen fired twice, hitting him in the neck and chest. Hill died on the scene. Olsen later claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging Hill attacked him, but prosecutors said the claims were false.
In 2019, a jury convicted him of one count of aggravated assault, two counts of violating his oath of office, and one count of making a false statement. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by eight years of probation. However, after appealing his aggravated assault conviction and one violation of oath charge, the Georgia Court of Appeals overturned those convictions last year.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston commented on Olsen’s plea deal, expressing hope that it brings some measure of peace to Anthony Hill’s family.
“It has been more than a decade since Anthony Hill’s life was cut tragically short,” Boston said. “Defendant Olsen’s guilty plea brings this long, arduous chapter to a close, and through it, he has finally accepted some responsibility for his actions.”
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