Atlanta board denies appeal of officer fired over deadly traffic stop
Family reacts to city upholding firing of officer
A former Atlanta police officer involved in a deadly traffic stop will not get his job back. Kiran Kimbrough fired his Taser at Johnny Hollman, a 62-year-old deacon, during a traffic stop in southwest Atlanta back in 2023. Hollman later died.
ATLANTA - The city of Atlanta's Civil Service Board has denied the appeal of a former police officer who killed a 62-year-old church deacon during a traffic stop in 2023.
Kiran Kimbrough had asked the board, which oversees appeals regarding suspensions, firings, and other disqualifications, to reverse his firing following the deadly confrontation.
The backstory:
On Aug. 10, 2023, Hollman got into an accident near Cunningham and Joseph E. Lowery boulevards as he was headed to Bible study.
Board rejects ex-APD officer's appeal
A city of Atlanta board has denied a former APD officer's attempt to get back his job after he was fired for his actions during a traffic stop that killed 62-year-old deacon Johnny Hollman.
Atlanta police initially said he was at fault. Authorities say an officer tried to issue a citation, but claim Hollman refused to sign the ticket and grew agitated and uncooperative.
"You're not going to scream at me. You understand what I'm telling you? Now you're either going to sign the ticket or you're going to go to jail," Kimbrough is heard telling Hollman in released police footage.
While repeating "sign the ticket," Kimbrough tries to grab onto Hollman, leading to what appeared to be a struggle, and ends with the officer forcing the 62-year-old man to the ground.
Calls for charges for officer in deacon's death
The city of Atlanta has agreed to pay millions of dollars after a man died during a confrontation with a police officer last year. The family of church deacon Johnny Hollman sued the city after his death last year.
The struggle continued, with Kimbrough telling Hollman to put his hands behind his back and Hollman repeating over and over, "I can’t breathe."
The officer then uses his Taser to shock Hollman — a maneuver police have called a "drive stun."
After Hollman goes silent, Kimbrough calls for medics, saying, "I think he passed out on me."
"I took him to the ground and stuff. He grabbed my hand like he was going to hit me, so I punched him a couple of times, Tased him, and put him in cuffs" Kimbrough told medics arriving at the scene.
Hollman was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined the 62-year-old’s death was a homicide, with heart disease also a contributing factor.
Dig deeper:
APD Chief Darin Schierbaum terminated Officer Kimbrough for failing to follow the department’s standard operating procedures. According to the results of the administrative review, Kimbrough failed to have a supervisor on the scene prior to a physical engagement and arresting Hollman for his refusal to sign the citation.
Hollman's family has been calling for Kimbrough to be arrested and charged in his death. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed its inquiry into Hollman’s death and has turned its file over to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has not decided whether to pursue charges.
Opposition to APD chief's decision on Hollman case
Atlanta police officers tell FOX 5 they do not believe the explanation given by police officials regarding the firing of the officer involved in the death of Johnny Hollman. Police say the responding officer to a traffic accident decided to use a Taser on the senior citizen after he allegedly became combative. But this, the police chief terminated that officer, explaining it was because he failed to notify a supervisor before the encounter escalated.
In May 2024, the Atlanta City Council reached a settlement with Hollman's family over his death for $3.8 million.
What they're saying:
In their report, the Atlanta Civil Service Board ruled that Kimbrough violated the Police Department’s Traffic Standard Operating Procedure, finding that his decision not to wait for a supervisor was "willful and deliberate."
The board said that Kimbrough should have waited for on-site supervisor approval to arrest Hollman, stating that the deacon was not a flight risk and that there was no "imminent threat of harm to Mr. Kimbrough or the public."
"During the first few seconds of their encounter, Mr. Hollman complied with Mr. Kimbrough’s requests: he surrendered his driver’s license, and he separated himself from the other person involved in the traffic accident. He made no threats, verbally or physically, to either Mr. Kimbrough or the bystanders. Mr. Kimbrough seemed to concede as much during his OPS interview, stating that Mr. Hollman was ‘completely avoiding any contact with me’" the board's report reads. "Mr. Hollman did grow agitated upon being told that he would be cited for the accident, and he – initially, at least – refused to sign the citation, but neither of these elements seemed to pose an imminent threat to anyone’s safety. The investigative report of the incident, in fact, agrees that Mr. Kimbrough ‘did not seem to be in danger at any point,’ and that ‘no safety concerns … necessitated the immediate handcuffing of the arrestee.’"
Former Atlanta Police Officer Kiran Kimbrough
The board also pointed to Hollman's age and health status, saying that "Kimbrough was, or should have been, aware of an increased likelihood of serious consequences to Mr. Hollman from Mr. Kimbrough’s decision to initiate an unnecessary physical struggle with him."
"Mr. Hollman was 62 and gray-haired. He stood 5'8" and weighed 244 pounds," the board wrote. "Moreover, Mr. Kimbrough had been trained to consider a suspect's age in using force. We believe that Mr. Hollman's appearance and Mr. Kimbrough's training increased the foreseeability to Mr. Kimbrough of Mr. Hollman's injury or death from the manner of his arrest."
After weighing the factors, the board determined that the other options - reinstating the former officer with no sanctions or reducing the sanction to no less than a 30-day suspension - seemed "too lenient," leading them to decide on the denial.
The other side:
"That was our rock, that was our daddy, that was our friend," said Hollman’s daughter, Arnitra Hollman. "He was our everything."
Arnitra said the board’s ruling brought a mix of emotions but ultimately provided hope. "I miss my father," she said. "I have mixed emotions, I’m all over the place right now… but for us, it was a good decision. It gives us hope to continue to fight and continue to press forward."
Attorney Mawuli Davis, who represents the Hollman family, said they remain focused on seeking criminal accountability. "That has been and continues to be this family’s ultimate objective, to ensure he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Davis said. He confirmed that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is currently reviewing the case.
"This case will be looked at thoroughly and given due consideration," Davis added.
When asked if Kimbrough should face charges, Arnitra Hollman responded: "Yes. He murdered our father. Yes." When asked what she believed the charge should be, she answered: "Murder."
What's next:
The Hollman's family and their legal representatives are expected to address the recent developments and discuss their push for charges on Thursday afternoon.
The Source: Information for this story came from a ruling by the City of Atlanta Civil Review Board and previous FOX 5 reporting.