What is being called by many an execution of Jamarion Robinson by U.S. Marshalls on Aug. 5, 2016, has laid open more questions and demands for justice for the Tuskegee University student. Robinson was killed in East Point, Georgia, near Atlanta when officers from the Metro Atlanta Fugitive Task Force attempted to serve an arrest warrant for allegedly shooting at an Atlanta police officer on July 28, 2016. According to his family, police came heavily armed and intent on violence rather than approaching the situation with assets to deal with a possibly mentally ill person with no confirmed history of violence.
The end result was a bloody gun battle that left the 26-year-old riddled with more than 20 gunshot wounds and a family and community in mourning. In a three-minute video shot by a neighbor, U.S. Marshalls arrived at his door and announced their presence and with a few quick blows of a battering ram gained entry. Almost immediately gunfire from automatic weapons ripped through the apartment and into the body of Robinson. When his grandmother Beverly Nixon arrived after the shooting, she was shown a picture of the suspect that police were looking for and she stated, “That’s not my grandson.”
After being shot, no medical aid was given to Robinson and his body laid in his apartment for close to eight hours while GBI crime scene technicians processed the scene of the shooting. It seemed like an open and closed case to law enforcement, as the apartment where the shooting took place was released back to the family, a bloody mess that included what was called brain tissue still on one of the walls. The family turned to the offices of the Davis-Bozeman law firm and hired private investigator Rashid McCall, senior investigator with Opposition Research LLC, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Robinson’s death. During his investigation, McCall found two bullets in a floor that seemed to indicate that Robinson was shot while laying down as someone stood over his body.
This week, the family and their attorney Mawuli Davis turned over evidence and their findings to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in their quest for justice. It was determined that over 95 shots were fired by law enforcement and no evidence that Robinson fired at police who entered the apartment. The evidence was received and the family learned that the Fulton County DA will now open its own investigation and take specific action. According to attorney Davis, these actions will include the hiring of a blood splatter expert as well as another crime scene investigator from its office. In addition, the apartment where the shooting took place will now be secured and the complex management will not be allowed to repair the bullet holes or replace the carpeting in the residence. This was a great victory for activists who stood vigil and blocked work crews from attempting to repair the damage. The U.S. Marshall’s office has not given a statement on exactly how many officers were involved in the takedown of Robinson or whether any were placed on administrative leave after the shooting. According to Davis, there were as many as 17 officers on site during the shooting and there has not been a breakdown on what other agencies were involved in serving the warrant.
