Bodycam footage was recently released in the case of Johnny Hollman, a 62-year-old church deacon who died after being repeatedly tased by Officer Kiran Kimbrough of the Atlanta Police Department. The footage was made public at the family’s behest and has raised questions about police procedures and use of force.
Hollman was returning from Bible Study when he had a minor accident. Officer Kimbrough who responded to the accident determined that Hollman had caused the accident. Hollman initially refused to sign the citation.
A police officer in Atlanta responding to a minor accident used a Taser to shock a deacon of a local church who refused to sign the traffic ticket despite repeated requests. The man had repeatedly claimed he couldn’t breathe.
Johnny Hollman Sr. died after becoming unresponsive late in the night on August 10th. The autopsy revealed that the death of Johnny Hollman Sr., 62, was caused by homicide. Heart disease and other factors were also involved. His family is now calling on prosecutors for Officer Kiran Kimbrough to be charged with murder. Kimbrough’s attorney, who has been fired, claims that the officer acted legally.
Bodycam footage shows an Atlanta police officer repeatedly tasing Johnny Hollman Sr. during a response to a minor car accident after he refused to sign a ticket.
He later died, and an autopsy ruled it a homicide.
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The video shows Hollman visibly upset, arguing with Officer Kimbrough that he had “done nothing wrong.”
Hollman is repeatedly told to “sign the tickets” by the officer until he begins grabbing Hollman. Hollman pulls out his cell phone to dial his daughter’s telephone number but is interrupted when Kimbrough grabs his arm again and says that he must sign the ticket.
Hollman said, “Ok. I’m signing the ticket,” before he was thrown to the floor and repeatedly tased. Kimbrough is heard telling Hollman, while tasing Hollman, to place his hands behind his head. Hollman finally stops moving when the officers put him in handcuffs. The officer attempts to get Hollman up but realizes that he is bleeding badly and has fallen asleep.
The deacon died at the hospital, and an autopsy revealed that it was a murder. The medical examiner listed “cardiac Dysrhythmia Due to Use of Conducted Energy Device in Association with Hypertensive and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease” as the cause. Kimbrough, who was terminated last month after failing to adhere to standard operating procedures, failed to follow the department’s guidelines. The department stated that a supervisor on the scene must approve the arrest of someone who refuses a citation.
In some states, individuals are not required to sign a ticket when presented by an officer. In Georgia, however, a person can be arrested if they refuse to sign.
The person receiving a citation pursuant to Code Section 17-6-11 relating to the display of a driver’s license in lieu of bail must sign the citation in order to acknowledge the receipt of the citation and to confirm that he or she is required to appear at trial. The officer will inform the person that signing the ticket is not an admission that they are guilty and that if the person does not sign, he or she may be required to post cash bail. If the person refuses the citation it will be reasonable to assume that they won’t appear at the trial. The officer can bring them before a traffic violation bureau or a judicial officer to obtain a bond.
The Atlanta Police Department revised its procedures to allow officers to write “refusal not to sign” on citations rather than making arrests.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. The case raises important questions about laws and the potential negative outcomes of these incidents.
Watch the entire video below:
