Family speaks out on $3.8 million settlement following Atlanta deacon’s death after accusation

The family of Johnny Hollman, the 62-year-old Atlanta deacon who died after an Atlanta police officer charged him following a minor accident in August 2023, has spoken out after reaching a settlement of $3.8 million with the city of Atlanta.

“(The settlement) will never value my father’s life,” Hollman’s daughter, Arnitra Hollman, told “GMA3” co-anchor DeMarco Morgan in an exclusive interview that will air Thursday.

“$3.8 million will never allow us to turn the page. We will live with this pain for the rest of our lives. This is our new normal,” she added.

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously in favor of the settlement Monday evening, agreeing to pay $3.8 million to settle a civil lawsuit filed in January by the Hollman family against the city of Atlanta, the former police officer Kiran Kimbrough and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.

The complaint, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, alleged that “unlawful use of excessive force” led to Hollman’s death after the deacon was subpoenaed while resisting arrest for refused to sign a citation saying he was at fault in a minor accident. .

ABC News reached out to Atlanta police and Kimbrough’s attorney, but requests for comment were not immediately returned.

The Hollman family’s attorney, Harold Spence, told “GMA3” that the settlement is a “clear acknowledgment that they understood there was a wrong that needed to be righted.”

The settlement comes amid an ongoing investigation into the deacon’s Aug. 10, 2023, death by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Asked about the settlement and the status of the investigation, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told ABC News that “because the case is still under investigation at this time, we are not cannot comment.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

The Hollman family’s attorney, Mawuli Davis, said in a statement following the settlement that “although this part of their fight is coming to an end, this fight for justice will not end until criminal charges are filed.”

Hollman’s death led to policy changes within the Atlanta Police Department that were announced by the city in November 2023.

“What I don’t want to see is this happen to anyone else,” Arnitra Hollman said. “I don’t want this to happen to another family…I want police policies to change. Traffic violations should not result in a death sentence.”

Changes implemented after Hollmans’ death include launching a civilian response unit to respond to “low-risk calls for service” and allowing officers to write “refuse to sign” when an individual refuses to sign a traffic ticket, instead of demanding his arrest. , according to a November 2023 city press release.

“My thoughts remain with the Hollman family, and while nothing can undo what has been done, my priority was to bring this family closer to this unfortunate tragedy as soon as possible,” said Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens, at ABC News. written declaration following the settlement. “There have been significant changes to procedures following the incident, including the new CARES Unit, whose first member training is expected to conclude next month.”

What the body camera video shows

Body camera video released by the Atlanta Police Department (APD) in November 2023 shows an argument between Hollman and Kimbrough after the Deacon refused to sign a traffic ticket, claiming he was at fault for the accident minor.

The hour-and-six-minute video shows Hollman repeatedly telling Kimbrough that he “did nothing wrong,” while Kimbrough threatens to arrest Hollman if he doesn’t sign it.

In the video, the interaction appeared to intensify when Kimbrough attempted to arrest Hollman and the deacon resisted.

During the struggle, Hollman can be heard agreeing to sign the ticket. A tow truck driver, who was called to respond to the crash, can also be seen in body camera footage helping to hold Hollman on the ground.

As he is pinned to the ground, Hollman can be heard on the video repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.”

The officer first threatened to use his Taser gun on Hollman, then eventually activated his Taser, the video shows. Hollman appeared unresponsive almost immediately after being assigned. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Arnitra Hollman told ABC News in an August 2023 interview that her father had suffered from “chronic asthma” since he was a child.

An autopsy conducted by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office lists Hollman’s manner of death as “homicide.” The report, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, lists the cause of death as “cardiac dysrhythmia due to the use of a conductive energy device in association with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

Kimbrough was initially placed on administrative leave as part of an internal investigation, but police announced on October 10, 2023 that Chief Schierbaum “terminated Officer Kimbrough for failing to follow department standard operating procedures” during of Hollman’s arrest by failing to call a supervisor to the scene before taking his chance. to arrest Hollman for failing to sign the traffic ticket.

Arnitra Hollman was on the phone with him during the incident for more than 17 minutes and was “likely on the phone with his father at the time he took his last conscious breath,” according to the complaint. When she arrived on scene, she found him “on the ground, motionless,” the complaint states.

Reflecting on her last conversation with her father as the nine-month mark of his death approached on Friday, Arnitra Hollman told Morgan: “He kept calling Jesus’ name towards the end. It’s like his voice was getting lower and lower.

“I still remember his voice. I still hear him screaming. I still hear his wallowing,” she added. “I can still see how he was. He didn’t deserve this.”

ABC News’ Alyssa Acquavella contributed to this report.