CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The mother of a Black man shot and killed by federal task force agents in 2016 called for the termination of a Clayton County officer who has remained with the department even after being indicted for murder in the case last year.
Jamarion Robinson, 26, was killed six years ago after being shot over 50 times by U.S. Marshals and officers working with a Marshals task force, leaving him with 76 bullet wounds.
Clayton County Police Officer Kristopher Hutchens and a federal law enforcement agent were both indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in the incident last October.
It emerged this week after a popular YouTube account highlighted the case that Hutchens has remained on the Clayton County force and been involved in training other officers despite the indictment. The department said in March that Hutchens was placed on administrative duty.
On Wednesday, the department said in a statement Hutchens had been reassigned to "non-training duty."
Monteria Robinson, Jamarion's mother, said at a press conference Thursday in front of CCPD headquarters that Hutchens' presence on the force - in a training duty or otherwise - was "literally a slap in the face."
"Chief Kevin Roberts, we the people demand that Kristopher Hutchens is terminated from the Clayton County Police Department immediately," the mother said. "We don't want him reassigned. We want him terminated, we want him fired, he has to go immediately."
CCPD said in a statement Wednesday regarding the reassignment: "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."
Monteria Robinson said she learned about Hutchens' employment status when someone sent her the link to the YouTube account of Dr. Rashad Richey, who produces a popular commentary program "Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey."
A video on Hutchens published on Tuesday, "Cop Indicted For Murder Of Black Man Still Training Officers HOW TO SHOOT," had more than 100,000 views as of Thursday.
"Someone dropped me that YouTube link, I felt so disrespected I immediately contacted my attorney - I said can you believe this? I said how disrespectful is this?" she said. "It made me have an emotional breakdown. I was like, how can this be?"
The new outcry over the case came just ahead of the Robinson's family marking six years since his death - he was shot on August 5, 2016.
The case languished for several years until Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought it to a grand jury last year, which indicted Hutchens and a U.S. Marshal, Eric Heinze.
A trial is due to begin on Sept. 12, but that could be delayed. The attorney for Hutchens already has a trial for another client starting before Robinson. And he's asked a judge to delay the start of Hutchens' trial to give him time to complete the other trial.
So far, no order on that request has been given.
Additionally, attorneys for the officers have filed requests to have the case moved to federal court, where court records show the pair would plan to seek immunity as federal officers, a move the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has objected to.
No order has been given on that, either.
Robinson was a college football player at Clark Atlanta University and Tuskegee University and had no criminal convictions.
The Marshals Regional Task Force said it was serving an arrest warrant on behalf of Gwinnett Police and Atlanta Police over incidents in which he had allegedly poured gas on the floor beneath his bed and in front of his mother’s bedroom and for allegedly pointing a gun at officers while being confronted at a friend’s apartment complex.
Robinson’s mom said she called police not to have him arrested but to get him mental health assistance. His mother said at the time he had been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia with paranoia, and that police were aware of this.
She said Thursday she wanted people to remember that he was a "dedicated, committed individual, he loved his family."
"We called him 'Daddy Daycare,' because there were a lot of young ones in our family that he would keep for us when we had things to do," she said. "When he was murdered they were having nightmares about what happened to him, crying, asking for him."
She added she's praying that the trial does not get delayed.
"I want accountability, I want justice to be served," she said.
In the meantime, she vowed to pressure the Clayton County Board of Commissioners and Chief Roberts if Hutchens remained on the force.
"I don't think they wanna feel that wrath," she said.