The Fulton County District Attorney’s office is set to release body camera footage this week showing the incident that resulted in the death of 62-year-old Atlanta deacon Johnny Hollman. Hollman died on August 10 after being shocked with a stun gun by an Atlanta police officer during a traffic stop. The DA’s office stated that the video can be released without affecting the ongoing investigation and will be made available to media outlets upon request. Hollman’s family has been advocating for the release of the footage for months, as both the Atlanta Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct a joint investigation into the incident. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office is also conducting its own investigation.
In an interview with ABC News, Hollman’s daughter, Arnitra Hollman, claimed that the officer was “aggressive” with her father during the encounter and heard him say, “I can’t breathe.” She also mentioned that her father had chronic asthma and that if he said he couldn’t breathe, the officer should have stopped. An autopsy conducted by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office listed Hollman’s cause of death as a “homicide” due to cardiac dysrhythmia caused by the use of a conducted energy device.
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The Atlanta Police Department stated that the officer arrived at the scene of a minor traffic accident and issued Hollman a traffic citation, which he refused to sign. The officer attempted to take Hollman into custody, but he resisted, leading to a struggle. The officer used a taser and with the help of a witness, placed Hollman in handcuffs. However, the officer later realized that Hollman had become unresponsive and called emergency medical services. Hollman was pronounced dead at Grady Hospital.
Officer Kiran Kimbrough, who was initially placed on administrative leave, was later terminated for failing to follow the department’s standard operating procedures. The APD has since changed its policy regarding traffic citations, allowing officers to write “refusal to sign” instead of making an arrest. The department found a handgun and marijuana in Hollman’s vehicle after his death.
The release of the body camera footage is expected to provide answers to Hollman’s family and shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death.
