The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office released body camera footage on Wednesday morning that shows the moments before church deacon Johnny Hollman, 62, died after an Atlanta Police Department officer tased him following a minor traffic accident.
The roughly one-hour video was recorded on former APD officer Kiran Kimbrough’s body camera. Kimbrough was fired after an internal investigation into the Aug. 10 incident. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting its own investigation.
In the Aug. 10 video, Kimbrough tells Hollman he was at fault in the two-car accident at Cunningham Place and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard in southwest Atlanta. He also tells him to sign a traffic ticket showing the fine and court date. Hollman repeatedly denied he did anything wrong and refused to sign the ticket. The two began arguing and Kimbrough tells Hollman to lower his voice.
“You’re gonna sign this ticket right here, before I get my sergeant out here,” Kimbrough said. “You’re gonna sign the ticket or I’m gonna take you to jail.”
Hollman continued to say, “I didn’t do nothing.”
The argument escalated when Kimbrough reached for Hollman’s arm to arrest him. The deacon resisted. Unclear camera footage appears to show the two men in a brief scuffle. Kimbrough then shoved Hollman to the pavement.
APD notes in text included with the video that Kimbrough first conducts “warning arcs” with his Taser. “Warning arcs” are electric discharges at the front of the Taser that are intended to frighten a suspect but do not touch or stun the person.
Hollman continued to struggle on the ground as Kimbrough stood over him and pushed him down, trying to cuff him. Kimbrough shouted several times at Hollman to put his arms behind his back.
Hollman, rolling on the ground, is heard saying over and over, “I can’t breathe.” He also says, “Help me.”
About a minute after using the warning arcs, Kimbrough activates his Taser’s Drive-stun mode to subdue Hollman. In this mode, the front of the taser is pushed against the subject’s body and is primarily used for “pain compliance,” according to AXON, the manufacturer of APD’s tasers
Kimbrough uses the taser at least three times and Hollman appears to immediately become limp. Another officer joins Kimbrough and they handcuff Hollman, who is now silent and unresponsive.
Kimbrough rolls Hollman onto his back and checks his pulse. He requests dispatch send an ambulance quickly because Hollman is “bleeding pretty bad.” Kimbrough tells other officers that Hollman grabbed him so he was forced to punch him a few times.
A dispatcher tells Kimbrough to give Hollman a “sternum rub” and the officer rubs the man’s chest with his fist, saying, “Hey, wake up.” Hollman remains unresponsive.
Hollman family wants officer prosecuted
A medical examiner ruled Hollman’s death a homicide but also said heart disease contributed to his death.
Hollman’s family has been calling for APD to release body camera footage of the incident, but their requests have been denied until now because law enforcement said the video was part of an open homicide investigation. The Atlanta City Council last month passed a resolution urging the footage be released.
At a Wednesday press conference hours after the video was released, members of Johnny Hollman’s family said they were glad the body cam footage was released and that Kimbrough was fired. They said they also want Kimbrough prosecuted.
“Now we’re asking for the officer to be jailed and prosecuted to the fullest extent because what he did to our father was senseless,” said Anitra Hollman, the deacon’s daughter. She said her father did not “pass away,” as some have said.
“He was killed. Let’s be clear,” Hollman said. “He was murdered on the streets of Atlanta.”
Family attorney Mawuli Davis said at the press conference that Johnny Hollman’s death is a “forever injury.”
“Because it’ll ripple throughout their generations,” he said. “And so that’s why it’s so important that those who are organizing around the country, around policing, around social justice that you be re-energized.”
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said it released the video this week because doing so would not harm its investigation.
“Pursuant to the agreement announced by the District Attorney, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the City of Atlanta regarding the release of video evidence in investigations of use of force by Atlanta Police Department officers and ensuring that the release does not interfere with the investigation, our office, in consultation with the GBI, has determined that the video may be released without negatively affecting the investigation,” the DA’s office said in a written statement.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a written statement that the video “will be difficult to watch for many people, especially the family of Mr. Hollman.”
“I continue to extend my deepest sympathy to them and hold them close in my thoughts and prayers,” the mayor said. “We also extend our gratitude to those in the community who have embraced and supported the family during these difficult months.”
Dickens noted that APD policies were updated after an internal review of the incident, including revising procedures regarding traffic citations. Officers can now write “refusal to sign” in the signature line, rather than arrest a person who won’t sign a ticket.
For more information on the revisions made by APD since August and to view the video footage that is now available to the public, click on this link: https://www.atlantapd.org/about-apd/advanced-components/news-list.