CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A mother’s outrage continues to push for justice for her son.
Friday marks six years since law enforcement officers shot and killed a 26-year-old Black man, Jamarion Robinson, in East Point, striking him 59 times.
And after all these years, one of the white police officers who is still awaiting trial for murder in the case is still on the job with the Clayton County Police Department.
Clayton County Police Officer Kristopher Hutchens and a now-former law enforcement officer, Eric Heinze, were indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury in Oct. 2021, charged with murdering Robinson on Aug. 5, 2016.
Hutchens has remained on the department’s payroll ever since, most recently as a training officer -- until now.
“If it was any other person that has felonies or even has been indicted on felonies, let alone multiple, would the police department hire them?" asked Mina Turabi on Wednesday.
Turabi works with Jamarion Robinson’s mother, Monteria Robinson, and the Jamarion Robinson Foundation, helping people with mental illnesses.
The family has said they asked police to help Jamarion because he was suffering from mental illness.
However, police said they saw him with a gun and opened fire, shooting him 59 times.
Turabi said that this week that on Tuesday, Jamarion’s mother was outraged all over again, when Dr. Rashad Richey reported on his online program “Indisputable” that Officer Hutchens was still on the job and training SWAT officers.
“It's such a slap in the face," Turabi said. "With the trial coming up, with the indictments, and for the fact that his anniversary is Friday, for him to be working at the police department in any capacity.”
In fact, Hutchens’ file with the state showed that as of Wednesday, his certification as an instructor was still active.
Then, at 4:45 p.m., Clayton County police emailed 11Alive to announce that the Chief had just reassigned Hutchens to non-training duty.
And at 4:46 p.m., the state sent 11Alive Hutchens’ updated file showing that his instructor certificate had been suspended.
Monteria Robinson along with her family will hold a press conference outside the Clayton County Department Thursday at 1 p.m. to call on the Chief to fire Hutchens.
“For her to be reliving this every single day," Turabi said, "I mean, she had a long fight just to get to that indictment. And now with all this stuff coming up with the anniversary... it really shines a light on the struggle that's continuing... it's one battle after the next.”
The news release from the Clayton County Police reads:
"Recent concerns presented to the Clayton County Board of Commissioners about the administrative assignment of Sergeant K. Hutchens, to the in-service training unit have impacted the Board and the Clayton County Police Department. Chief Kevin Roberts has reconsidered the Sergeant’s assignment, and moved him to a non-training duty; effective immediately."
On Aug. 5, 2016, Jamarion Robinson was killed by a taskforce of 17 officers which included the US Marshalls, Atlanta Police, Clayton County police, East Point Police etc.
Investigators later found that three law enforcement officers fired 110 rounds at Jamarion, striking him 59 times and causing 76 wounds, including in his groin, chest, spleen and arms. The shooting lasted over three minutes.
One of the law enforcement officers has since died. The other two are now facing trial.
In October of last year, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis convened a grand jury which charged Eric Heinz and Kristopher Hutchens with multiple crimes including felony murder and aggravated assault.