Judge Dismisses Criminal Case Against Officers Who Fired 91 Rounds, Shot Jamarion Robinson 76 Times

U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert dismissed criminal charges against two Georgia law enforcement officers accused in the 2016 shooting of Jamarion Robinson, ruling they cannot be prosecuted by the state for actions taken while serving on a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force. Robinson's mother, Montaria Robinson, says she will speak publicly Friday after spending nearly a decade pressing for answers about what happened inside the Atlanta apartment where her son was shot.

Eric A. Heinze and Kristopher L. Hutchens were among the officers who entered the apartment on Aug. 5, 2016, to serve arrest warrants for Robinson. Authorities said Robinson fired first, prompting officers to fire 91 rounds, while a third officer involved in the operation, Daniel Doyle, died of cancer in 2020.

As reported by Atlanta Black Star, Montaria Robinson has consistently disputed the officers' account, maintaining they continued firing after her son no longer posed a threat. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Heinze and Hutchens in 2021 on charges including felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, making a false statement and violating their oath of office.

Judge Calvert ruled that Supremacy Clause immunity shielded the officers from state criminal prosecution because they were carrying out federal duties as members of the task force. Robinson's separate civil lawsuit had already ended after the Eleventh Circuit upheld its dismissal.

In a statement following the ruling, Montaria Robinson said the dismissal does not erase the gunfire, physical evidence or unanswered questions surrounding the shooting. She is scheduled to speak Friday morning outside the Fulton County Courthouse, where she plans to respond publicly to Judge Calvert's decision.

The shooting has remained under scrutiny because none of the officers wore body cameras during the operation. A neighbor's cellphone recording captured the sound of additional gunfire after a flash-bang grenade exploded, while Robinson's autopsy documented 76 gunshot wounds. Those findings have remained central to the family's account of what happened inside the apartment.

The criminal case remained active for several years after Robinson's civil lawsuit had come to an end. Judge Calvert's ruling now closes the prosecution against Heinze and Hutchens, while Montaria Robinson says she will continue speaking publicly about the shooting and the questions she believes still have not been answered.