A former Atlanta police officer, who was indicted in the 2019 shooting death of a teenager, will have to stand trial after his motion for immunity was denied Thursday.
After consideration, Judge Eric Dunaway ruled that Oliver Simmonds did not meet the burden needed to be granted immunity and denied the motion.
“Based on the evidence and the burden on this case, I’m going to find that Mr. Simmonds has failed to carry that burden,” Dunaway said.
Simmonds was indicted in October 2022 by a Fulton County grand jury after the 2019 shooting death of 18-year-old D’Ettrick Griffin, who was accused of taking Simmonds’ unmarked car at a southwest Atlanta gas station.
Simmonds, who at one time was assigned to former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ security detail, retired from the Atlanta Police Department in November 2022, shortly after being indicted.
Atlanta officer indicted on murder charge in teen’s 2019 shooting
Simmonds was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and two counts of violating his oath. He turned himself in, was booked at the Fulton County Jail on Nov. 4, 2022 and released on the same day on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records.