Atlanta leaders raise concerns about potential backlog of GBI police custody death investigations
Atlanta ask GBI to release update on in-custody deaths
Atlanta city leaders are calling on the GBI to provide an update on the number of in-custody police deaths the agency is currently investigating. This comes as family members of a man who died in Atlanta Police custody continue their push for the release of video from the incident.
ATLANTA - Atlanta city leaders are calling on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to provide an update on the number of in-custody police deaths the agency is currently investigating. This comes as family members of a man who died in Atlanta police custody in August continue their push for the release of video from the incident.
"This is just a heartbreaking case. He didn’t leave the scene of the accident, didn’t flee from the scene of the accident, and yet he winds up deceased," Atlanta City Council member Michael Bond told FOX 5.
It’s been almost two months since the traffic accident that ended with the death of 62-year-old Johnny Hollomon. He didn't die in the collision itself, but in an encounter that followed with Atlanta police.
Since then, Hollomon’s family has been vocal in asking the Atlanta Police Department to make video of his last moments public. Members of the Atlanta City Council have echoed those calls, sending a formal request to Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Police officials.
Bond said that request was denied by the department, citing an ongoing GBI investigation into the encounter between Hollomon and the officer who tased him.
"There are a lot of things to consider, one is the families that are involved. How long are these things going to take?" Bond asked.
In Tuesday’s public safety committee meeting, Council member Antonio Lewis voiced concerns about a potential backlog of GBI investigations. He brought up the case of a friend he said was killed during an encounter with Atlanta police four years ago.
"If they’re still investigating something from 2019," Lewis said. "The Cane family has yet to see justice."
Both Bond and Lewis said they want the GBI to give an update on just how many in-custody police death cases remain open in the city and statewide.
Lewis told FOX 5 he also hopes the Atlanta Police Department will consider a more uniform policy around the release of footage after video showing violence at the city’s public training facility was made public earlier this year.
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"We had the tape released ASAP. The tape was released, it was plastered all over different websites. So now, when Deacon Hollomon is dying, when you’ve got my friend Oscar Cane being murdered, we’re asking for the same transparency," Lewis said.
FOX 5 reached out to the GBI for an updated number of open investigations into police custody deaths. We’re still waiting to hear back.