Atlanta pays family $3.8M after fatal police charge – WABE

The Atlanta City Council on Monday unanimously approved a $3.8 million settlement in a lawsuit involving the family of Atlanta church deacon Johnny Hollman, who died last fall after a fight with a city police officer.

In August, Hollman, 62, was rendered unconscious after Kimbrough stunned him with a Taser at the site of a minor car accident in southwest Atlanta. The altercation occurred after Hollman refused to sign a citation written by the officer.

Lawyers for Hollman’s family filed a federal lawsuit in January, with civil rights claims against the city of Atlanta, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and former officer Kiran Kimbrough.

The lawsuit claims it was Kimbrough’s use of excessive force to stun Hollman that was the primary cause of death. An autopsy found that although heart disease contributed to Hollman’s death, it was a homicide.

After three months of pressure from the family, the former officer’s body camera footage was made public in November.

The footage, lasting more than an hour, showed Officer Stunning Hollman as he lay on the ground, screaming “I can’t breathe” at the officer nearly a dozen times before to appear to fall unconscious.

After witnessing this, Kimbrough handcuffed Hollman and tried to make him sit down. Hollman died at Grady Memorial Hospital a short time later.

Mawuli Davis and Harold Spence, the DeKalb-based attorneys who represent the Hollman family, told WABE Tuesday they are grateful to the council, Atlanta Mayor Dickens and outgoing City Attorney Nina Hickson for their efforts to resolve the rule.

“From a legal standpoint, we’ve always emphasized accountability,” Davis said. “We believe that this resolution, which was passed unanimously by the city council, speaks volumes… it is important to close this chapter on the civil side so that (the family) can focus their energy, and so that we can focus on criminal prosecutions in this case. .”

Spence said a major obstacle in this case was the city’s initial failure to admit wrongdoing, particularly regarding the termination and lack of consequences for Kimbrough.

“We saw that Kimbrough was fired not because of the death of Deacon Hollman, nor for repeatedly hitting him in the head with a closed fist, nor for repeatedly tagging him, nor for unnecessary violence he inflicted on her. He was fired for failing to call a supervisor to the scene,” Spence said.

Spence said the settlement was a “just financial remedy” and that the family will continue to pursue criminal charges against Kimbrough and Eric Roberson, a tow truck driver at the scene who helped physically arrest Hollman.

“When you watch the video, after Deacon Hollman was rendered immobile, you hear this tow truck driver bragging, literally saying he didn’t know he still had it,” Spence said.

“It was a foolish act for him to join in a situation he had no knowledge of, and for him to literally straddle Deacon Hollman’s head and neck with all his weight was simply incomprehensible.” , added Spence.

Anitra Hollman, Johnny Hollman’s daughter, expressed gratitude for the city’s financial decision and for her family’s ability to focus on continuing to get justice for her father.

“Emotions are still running high, everywhere,” Hollman said. “But going forward we just have to stay together, we have to stay strong and we have to keep fighting… that’s when we’ll have peace and that’s when our father’s spirit will truly rest in peace.”

But Anitra Hollman said that still won’t make up for the loss she and her family continue to experience.

“I miss him, playing his gospel music loud early in the morning, waking everyone up… just seeing that smile. We were looking forward to this,” she said.

Hollman and his attorneys also thanked the community for their efforts to continue fighting alongside him for justice, particularly organizations such as the Southern Center for Human Rights, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Black Man Lab.

“They opened up their meetings, they brought this family in so they could hear directly what they were thinking,” Davis said. “If this is to be considered a victory for justice, whatever that may be, it is a victory for the people, but it is not over yet.”

When contacted for comment, Dickens expressed his condolences for the family and their loss.

“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,” Dickens said in a statement.

“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.”

And while further steps toward pursuing criminal charges against Kimbrough and Roberson have yet to be determined, Hollman is confident her father’s legacy will be honored.

“We believe in fighting for justice…and we stand up for what is right,” she said. “We must carry on our father’s legacy and not let his death be in vain.”