The family of 62-year-old Johnny Hollman was shattered after viewing a video of the patriarch’s death at the hands of an overzealous Atlanta police officer. Hollman a church deacon at Lively Stones of God Ministries on MLK Jr. Dr. was driving home after Bible study when he was involved in a minor accident. After Atlanta police officers arrived on the scene they determined that Hollman was at fault and proceeded to arrest him when he allegedly refused to sign a traffic ticket issued.
But after weeks of investigating, video of the incident that may be publicly released as early as Thursday, Oct. 12 shows the elderly deacon collapsing and telling officers “I can’t breathe,” after being tased by former APD officer Kiran Kimbrough. An autopsy ruled that Hollman’s death was a homicide.
Kimbrough, 23 was fired from the Atlanta Police Department on Monday, Oct. 9 for “failing to follow the department’s standard operating procedures” while arresting Hollman on Aug. 10. APD’s standard operating procedures were updated to reflect officers can write “refusal to sign” in the signature line of the traffic citation instead of arresting the person.
APD says that the 62-year-old was tased when he resisted arrest, although eyewitness accounts indicate Hollman was attempting to sign the ticket while handcuffed. The elderly deacon collapsed and subsequently died.
The family has hired civil rights attorney Mawuli Davis. On Monday after meeting with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Davis said that the family of Hollman believes that Kimbrough should be charged with murder. “Our position is that it was an unwarranted, unjustifiable assault that led to a death. And in my book, that is murder,” explained the civil rights attorney.
“All he did was disagree with the officer on the accident. As he reaches out to sign the ticket, the officer grabs him by the arm and he begins to put him into custody. He took him to the…
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