Atlanta cop fatally tasered elder church deacon

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

Another day, another cop killing someone.

An Atlanta Police Department officer named Kiran Kimbrough is under fire for the death of church deacon Johnny Hollman Sr. during while issuing a citation for a minor fender bender. According to a story reported by APNews, Hollman was on his way home from Bible study at his daughter’s home when he got into an accident with another vehicle near downtown Atlanta. Kimbrough was the sole responding officer and concluded that Hollman was at fault and issued him a citation which Hollman initailly refused to sign, repeatedly telling the officer, “I didn’t do nothing.”

Upon being instructed that he will be arrested if he doesn’t sign, Hollman relented. As Kimbrough approaches closer, things go left. The incident was recorded on Kimbrough’s body camera but it is difficult to see what happens just seconds prior to the physical confrontation that began. Following a brief struggle, Hollman is subdued on the ground yelling, “I’m an old man. I’m an old man,” while Kimbrough demands that he put his hands behind his back. Soon after, you hear the words that so many Black men and women have said before their life comes to an end, “I can’t breathe”. You can see the events unfold in their entirety in the video below.

Waring: The footage can be disturbing. Please take your mental health into account before pressing play.

As a result of this incident, Officer Kimbrough was fired for violating department policy which states that he wait until a supervisor arrives on the scene to proceed with an arrest. Hollman’s family lawyer Mawuli Davis refutes the idea that he was acting violently or beligerently toward Kimbrough.

“What he was doing was he was making his case, like so many of us do when someone is going to issue us a ticket,” Davis said. He later added, “Instead of listening and being patient and using his training of de-escalation, instead this officer treated him as if he were not an elder.”

In response, a “blue lives” lawyer Lance LoRusso says:

“Mr. Hollman violently and unlawfully resisted Officer Kimbrough’s lawful efforts to arrest him,” LoRusso said. “The Atlanta Police investigation confirmed Officer Kimbrough deployed his city-issued TASER and used force in a manner consistent with his training and Georgia law.”

Meanwhile, the company that manufactuers the taser used to kill Johnny Hollman Sr., Axon Enterprise, is already in CYA mode according to a WSBTV report. The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled that the rhythm of Hollman’s heart was disrupted by the eletric shock. Axon says that their device only affects “the upper layers of skin and fat level” and has no affect whatsoever on the heart.

We shall see. BOSSIP will provide updates on this case as District Attorney and RICO enjoyer Fani Willis decides on whether or not charges will be filed against Kimbrough.