EAST POINT, Ga. — 11Alive confirmed a grand jury has decided to return an eight-count indictment in the 2016 shooting where Jamarion Robinson was killed by law enforcement officers.
The indictment lists felony murder charges against Eric Heinze and Kristopher Hutchens. Other charges include aggravated assault, burglary in the first degree, false statements, and violation of oath.
Heinze worked with the U.S. Marshals Task Force; Hutchens is an officer with the Clayton County Police Department who was serving on the U.S. Marshal Service SE Regional Fugitive Task Force at the time of the shooting.
11Alive caught up with Jamarion's mother, Monteria Robinson, whose birthday was one day before the indictment. She said it was a gift from her son.
"They took my son's life, so they need to feel what it feels like being taken away from their family," she said. "All the hard work and effort I put in, I finally got the resolution that I wanted. Now, it's on to the next phase of this."
A medical examiner's report said Robinson was shot 59 times by law enforcement, leaving him with 76 gunshot wounds.
On Monday, Robinson's family said the Fulton County District Attorney's Office began presenting details to a grand jury about the case. Tuesday afternoon, they celebrated the news of the indictment.
"I love him, I miss him and I'm not going to stop fighting," Monteria added. "I won't give up."
Attorney Gerald Griggs, who is close with the family, tweeted a video of the family's reaction. It's a decision they've been waiting on for five years.
On August 5, 2016, U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest the 26-year-old in East Point at the request of Gwinnett and Atlanta Police on warrants from two separate incidents.
Cell phone video from outside the apartment where the shooting took place captured nearly three minutes of gunfire.
Robinson’s mom said she called police over one of the incidents, but not to have him arrested - she wanted to get him mental health assistance. His mother said at the time he had been recently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and that police were aware of this.
A private detective hired by his mother uncovered evidence of gunshots straight into the ground where his body was lying. Robinson had been a college football player at Clark Atlanta University and Tuskegee University, and had no criminal convictions.
There is no body-camera video of the shooting though because, at the time, federal policies didn't allow for U.S. Marshals or local police officers assisting them to wear body cameras.
The Robinson family attorney, Mario Williams, said Jamarion's case represents many others.
"It's all the Jamarion Robinson stories that are not being covered, that are not on people's radar, that are really important to grow this society," he said. "When you have a situation that has occurred throughout the country, where a story gets highly publicized and there's a lot of pressure, a lot of people realize if you don't get an indictment, this city might get burned down."
11Alive has reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office about the case. A spokesperson said warrants are not issued until the indictment is processed by the clerk.