The Atlanta police officer who tased a church deacon who later died has been fired by the department.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Officer Kiran Kimbrough was terminated on Oct. 9 following an administrative investigation by the APD Office of Professional Standards.
Schierbaum said the officer failed to follow the department’s standard operating procedures during the Aug. 10 arrest of Johnny Hollman, 62, after being involved in a traffice accident. APD’s administrative review found that Kimbrough violated standard operating procedure when he failed to have a supervisor on the scene prior to proceeding with the physical arrest after Hollman failed to sign the accident citation.
Following an autopsy, a medical examiner ruled Hollman’s death a homicide.
“Every single person and life in the City of Atlanta matters to me,” Schierbaum said in a statement. “Part of my job is to assess, evaluate, and adjust how this police department is carrying out its sworn mission to serve and protect the citizens of this city. I understand the difficult and dangerous job that our officers do each and every day throughout the city. I do not arrive at these decisions lightly. Only after a diligent review of all of the facts, while ensuring the due process of our officers, do I arrive at my decision.”
The completion of an investigation into the incident, conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is pending as well as an investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney.
Hollman’s family has been calling for APD to release body camera footage of the incident, receiving support from the Atlanta City Council, which passed legislation calling for the release of the footage.
Schierbaum said the body camera footage of the incident involving Hollman is part of a pending homicide investigation, of which the investigative bodies have directed the city not to release until the investigation is closed, as well as a pending administrative investigation.
APD said it will share the results of both the GBI and the APD investigations into the death of Hollman upon their conclusions.