A former Atlanta police officer who contributed to the death of a 62-year-old church deacon when he deployed his Taser should not get his job back, the city’s Civil Service Board ruled this week.
That officer, Kiran Kimbrough, should have obliged when Johnny Hollman asked to talk with a supervisor instead of signing a ticket after a minor crash in August 2023, the board said in its ruling. Instead, Kimbrough attempted to arrest Hollman and eventually deployed his Taser, leading to the man’s death, investigators have said.
In October 2023, police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Kimbrough had been fired for violating the department’s policy when he attempted to arrest Hollman. Kimbrough appealed the firing to the civil board, which is in place to address retaliation, suspension without pay, demotions and firings of city employees.
“Based on the totality of the evidence, the Board declines to modify the discipline previously imposed on Mr. Kimbrough,” the ruling states.
The officer, who had no law enforcement experience prior to joining Atlanta police, was hired by the department in March 2021. At the time he was fired, Kimbrough had a prior disciplinary record that included being suspended one day for a vehicle crash and being reprimanded following three separate complaints from residents, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Through his attorney, Kimbrough denied he did anything wrong.
“Officer K. Kimbrough vehemently denies any wrongdoing or policy violations in connection with the investigation, detention and arrest of Mr. Johnny Hollman,” Lance LoRusso said after Kimbrough’s firing. “He will appeal his termination reportedly predicated upon his failure to call for a supervisor when Mr. Hollman refused to sign a lawfully issued citation as he was legally obligated to do.”
Investigators previously said Hollman was found to be the at-fault driver in a crash and became agitated when the officer tried to cite him.
Hollman was driving his Chevrolet pickup truck north on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard and attempted to make a left turn onto Cunningham Place as another driver was turning right onto Joseph E. Lowery, according to the police report. Hollman is accused of making the turn too sharply and striking the front of the other vehicle, the report states.
Kimbrough responded to the scene after both Hollman and the other driver called 911.
Hollman asked to speak with a supervisor, but Kimbrough continued to try to arrest him, the deacon’s family has said. Kimbrough then used a Taser on him, and Hollman was handcuffed with the help of a witness. At that point, Kimbrough noticed Hollman was unresponsive, the GBI said. The deacon was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Hollman’s death was ruled a homicide, caused by a combination of the officer’s Taser and heart disease, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. According to the autopsy report, Hollman was “unresponsive from the time that the energy device was deployed.”
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
The deacon also had underlying conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and obesity, which the medical examiner determined contributed to his death.
Body camera footage released in November 2023 by Atlanta police shows the entire encounter. At one point, Kimbrough can be seen grabbing Hollman’s arm while repeating, “Sign the ticket.” Hollman replies with, “OK. I’m going to sign the ticket.” Kimbrough then appears to force Hollman to the ground, before stating that he would use his Taser.
Hollman can then be heard repeating, “I can’t breathe.” The struggle continues for only a few more seconds and then Hollman appears to fall unconscious, the video shows.
APD changed its policy in the wake of the incident, instructing officers not to arrest drivers for refusing to sign traffic citations. Moving forward, the department said officers will simply write “refusal to sign” on the ticket.
In January 2024, Hollman’s family filed a federal lawsuit over his death, making civil rights claims against the city of Atlanta, Schierbaum and Kimbrough. That May, the Atlanta City Council approved a $3.8 million settlement with the family.
Hollman’s family has also pushed for Kimbrough to be criminally prosecuted. No charges have been filed against him.
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