ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department announced Tuesday that it has fired the officer involved in the arrest of a local deacon who died while in police custody.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Johnny Hollman started resisting when an Atlanta police officer was trying to place him into custody for not agreeing to sign a traffic ticket.
Atlanta police maintain Hollman became agitated when he was blamed for a minor car accident. He was tased after police said he resisted arrest.
The 62-year-old was later pronounced dead at Grady Hospital.
In a statement, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Officer Kiran Kimbrough has been terminated “for failing to follow the department’s standard operating procedures during the August 10, 2023, arrest of Johnny Hollman.” Schierbaum added:
“Every single person and life in the City of Atlanta matters to me. 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 firing comes just one day after Hollman’s family met with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis about the case.
The family attorney, Mawuli Davis, said they are pushing to have body cam footage of the incident released.
“It’s not a question of if it will be released, it’s now a question of when and how soon,” Davis said. “What we want is justice so this false narrative can be put to rest.”
Davis also refutes the narrative that drugs played a factor. Police reported drug paraphernalia was found inside of Hollman’s vehicle.
“Deacon Hollman was being resuscitated, taken away in an ambulance, and all of that time the vehicle had not been searched. It was not until an inventory search was being done that they discovered anything in that vehicle,” Davis said.
Davis said Willis expects to announce whether the video will be released to the public by Thursday.
The incident still remains under investigation by the GBI.
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