The Atlanta City Council unanimously agreed to pay a $3.8 million settlement to the family of Deacon Johnny Hollman Sr., who died after being tased by a police officer last year.
The altercation with the officer occurred last August after the 62-year-old was involved in a minor car crash and subsequently “refused to sign a citation finding him at fault for the crash,” according to police.
Hollman, the chairman of deacon ministry at Lively Stones of God Ministries, was en route home after Bible study when the incident occurred.
Body camera footage, which the Atlanta Police Department finally released in November, shows Officer Kiran Kimbrough responding to the crash. Viewers can also see the officer grabbing Hollman’s arm and wrestling him to the ground. During the scuffle, Kimbrough told the deacon to “put his hands behind his back, but Hollman repeatedly said, ‘I can’t breathe.’”
After Kimbrough tased Hollman, he called for backup after the deacon “became unresponsive.” Despite EMS efforts to revive him on the scene, Hollman was pronounced dead at the hospital. Per the autopsy report, he died as a result of an abnormal heart rhythm that was caused by the taser.
Hollman’s family has been in pursuit of justice ever since. In January, they took legal action, suing “the city, Officer Kiran Kimbrough and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum in January, alleging Kimbrough used excessive force,” the Associated Press reports.
Monday’s unanimous approval for the settlement occurred at a regular meeting of the Atlanta City Council.
Mawuli Davis, attorney for the Hollman family, issued 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, Arnitra, Hollman’s daughter, expressed her thanks to city council and Andre Dickens, Mayor of Atlanta. “On behalf of my siblings and our entire family, we want to thank all the people across Atlanta who have supported us in our fight for justice for our father.”
“We will continue to demand arrests 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 full closure from this unfortunate tragedy as soon as possible.”
This case made headlines after the beloved church deacon’s death spurred a host of protests, resulted in Kimbrough’s dismissal from the force, and “led to the Atlanta Police Department changing its policy on how it issues citations.”
In addition, Atlanta created a brand-new civilian response unit responsible for responding to accidents, minor traffic collisions, thefts from cars, and the like. Training for this first group in this unit is expected to wrap up in June.