The loved ones of Johnny Hollman Sr., the church deacon who died after being shocked by a cop wielding a Taser after a traffic ticket dispute last summer, are suing the city of Atlanta.
The former police officer involved, Kiran Kimbrough and his chief are defendants in the filing seeking punitive damages. Since the 62-year-old’s death, the family has been calling for the officer to be criminally charged.
Kimbrough was fired from the Atlanta Police Department in October for violating “standard operating procedure when he failed to have a supervisor on the scene prior to proceeding with the physical arrest after Mr. Hollman failed to sign the citation.”
The claim, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Jan. 18 for the “needless and wrongful” death of Hollman. It says that Hollman should not have been shocked in the first place, especially since he eventually complied, and that the officer used excessive force.
On Aug. 10, Kimbrough responded to the scene of Cunningham Place and Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., where Hollman got into a minor car accident while on his way home from Bible study spearheaded by his church, Lively Stones of God Ministries. The officer found that the deacon was at fault for the accident and asked him to sign a ticket.
What Body-Camera Video Shows
Body-camera video released in November shows Hollman repeatedly saying he was not to blame for the traffic accident and asking to speak to a supervisor. The legal filing emphasizes that he hesitated and didn’t refuse to sign the citation.
“Who are you screaming at?” Kimbrough said in the video. “I told you once, lower your voice. You’re not going to scream at me. Do you understand what I’m telling you? Now you’re going to sign this ticket, or I’m going to take you to jail.”
Kimbrough told Hollman he could speak to the supervisor after he signed the document. The…
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