Calls for justice for Jamarion Robinson on what would have been his 31st birthday

ATLANTA - The family of a man who fugitive task force members shot and killed nearly five years ago declared Thursday as being "National Jamarion Robinson Day."

Jamarion Robinson was shot dozens of times at his girlfriend’s East Point apartment by members of a police fugitive task force in August 2016. That task force included officers from various police departments and the U.S. Marshals Office serving a warrant for his arrest.

Police said they obtained the warrant after the Tuskegee University student allegedly fired at an Atlanta police officer during a prior encounter days earlier. The task force was attempting to serve the warrant on the afternoon of Aug. 5, 2016, at the Parkside at Camp Creek off Washington Road. At least a dozen well-armed law enforcement officials in body armor were caught on camera by a bystander going into the apartments after Robinson refused to come out, followed by the sounds of gunshots.

Protesters gathered at Liberty Plaza in Downtown Atlanta to call for justice in the death of Jamarion Robinson on April 1, 2021. (FOX 5)

But his mother, Monteria Robinson has maintained her son suffered from schizophrenia and insists the officers were not trained to execute search warrants for people with psychiatric conditions. She also has said that among the 16 officers present, none of them wore body cameras.

"My son didn't kill, rape, or brutally beat anyone, but my son was heinously executed here in the city of Atlanta," she told FOX 5 in September 2020.

Members of the family gathered with a group called Justice for Georgia at Liberty Plaza in the shadow of the Gold Dome on Thursday calling for justice for Robinson, who was struck by 76 of the 110 shots fired that afternoon, protesters said. Organizers said they will not remain silent until someone is held accountable.

"Since when is 110 shots been justified? Jamarion Robinson was not just murdered he was over-killed and we will continue to say his name and fight for his justice," Justice for Georgia co-founder Britt said during the rally.

Protesters gathered at Liberty Plaza in Downtown Atlanta to call for justice in the death of Jamarion Robinson on April 1, 2021. (FOX 5)

Former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard had said the case was a priority for his office. His office even filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department to obtain federal records about the incident. The DA’s office said a grand jury was scheduled to hear the case against four of those officers in March 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers called upon newly sworn-in DA Fani Willis to be just as aggressive and to seek criminal charges against those task force members.

Robinson was majoring in biology at Tuskegee University and was also a member of the football team before his death. Thursday would have been Robinson’s 31st birthday.

Protesters gathered at Liberty Plaza in Downtown Atlanta to call for justice in the death of Jamarion Robinson on April 1, 2021. (FOX 5)

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