Atlanta to pay $3.8 million to family of church deacon who died after police arrest

The Atlanta City Council unanimously agreed to pay $3.8 million in compensation to the family of Deacon Johnny Hollman Sr., who died after being indicted by a former police officer last year.

The altercation with the officer occurred last August after the 62-year-old man was involved in a minor car accident and then “refused to sign a citation finding him responsible for the accident,” according to the police.

Hollman, deacon ministry president at Lively Stones of God Ministry, was on his way home from Bible study when the incident occurred.

The body camera footage, which Atlanta police finally released in November, shows Officer Kiran Kimbrough responding to the crash. Viewers can also see the officer grab Hollman’s arm and pin him to the ground. During the fight, Kimbrough told the deacon to “put his hands behind his back, but Hollman repeatedly said, ‘I can’t breathe.’

After Kimbrough subpoenaed Hollman, he called for backup after the deacon “became unresponsive.” Despite emergency efforts to resuscitate him at the scene, Hollman was pronounced dead at the hospital. According to the autopsy report, he died from an abnormal heart rhythm caused by the Taser.

Hollman’s family has been seeking justice ever since. In January, they filed a lawsuit, suing “the city, Officer Kiran Kimbrough and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum in January, alleging that Kimbrough used excessive force.”

The unanimous approval of the settlement Monday came during a regular meeting of the Atlanta City Council.

Mawuli Davis, an attorney for the Hollman family, released a statement saying the settlement allows the family to “focus on healing from the devastating and senseless loss of their beloved father,” the Associated Press reports.

In a statement, Hollman’s daughter Arnitra expressed her thanks to the city council and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “On behalf of my siblings and our entire family, we want to thank everyone in Atlanta who has supported us in our fight for justice for our father.”

“We will continue to demand the arrest of those responsible for our father’s death,” Arnitra continued.

Mayor Dickens said, “My thoughts remain with the Hollman family, and while nothing can undo what has been done, my priority was to get this family as close to complete closure as possible from this unfortunate tragedy as soon as possible. . »

The case made headlines after the death of the church’s beloved deacon, which sparked widespread protests, resulted in Kimbrough’s dismissal from the force and “led the Atlanta Police Department to amend its policy on how it issues citations.”

Additionally, Atlanta has created a brand new Civilian Response Unit to respond to accidents, minor traffic collisions, auto thefts, and more. The training of this first group of this unit should be completed in June.