ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department will not release body camera video of the interaction between an officer that led to them deploying a stun gun on a deacon.
Two days after the family of Johnny Hollman marched, demanding police release the footage of the man's final moments, the department released its stance on the body camera video. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a "use of force" investigation into the arrest of the 62-year-old along Cunningham Place in Southwest Atlanta. Hollman died Aug. 10 after the officer deployed a Taser on him; police said he was being non-compliant while he was being taken into custody.
Councilmember Julian Bond called for clarification over the footage during Monday's public safety committee meeting before the council went into executive session.
"I have been contacted by associates of the deacon who was tased a couple of weeks ago on the traffic stop. I know there have been concerns about accessing the bodycam video," Bond said.
After being contacted by constituents, and noting that attorneys for Hollman's family had seen a portion of the video, Bond asked Deputy Police Chief Timothy Peek when could the public expect to see the full footage.
Nina Hickson with the city's attorney's office stepped in and said as it is an open case with the GBI, the footage is not subject to open records law - yet. According to Hickson, the GBI has specifically asked the city not to release the video, adding that the district attorney offered a similar directive and the attorney general's office recommended the same. This, of course, stands as the investigation remains open, Hickson said.
"That's helpful to know," Bond said, before recommending APD publicly release a statement clarifying why the high-demanded footage has not yet been made available. He called for transparency.
Hollman's family has already seen a portion of the video - alleging that the police narrative doesn't match what's seen in the footage.
The family's attorney Mawuli Mel Davis said 62-year-old Hollman disagreed with the officer who found him at fault for the crash. Davis said Hollman requested the officer call a sergeant because he didn't feel like he was at fault.
"Instead of giving him a sergeant, this officer told him he was going to arrest him for not signing the ticket," Davis explained.
Hollman's daughter, Anitra Hollman, said she was on the phone with her father that Thursday night and said he called for help. In the video, she said, he agreed to sign the citation as matters escalated.
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"I’m telling them 'Y'all killed my daddy, y'all killed my daddy'," she said. "I heard it, I heard it was on the phone."
The family had marched Saturday by Atlanta City Hall, demanding police release the video and let the public decide for themselves what happened.
"A minor accident should not cause someone a death sentence, it shouldn’t be that way," she said. "Show the video to the world, let everybody see what happened on the night of Aug. 10."
APD updated its standard operating procedures when it comes to traffic stops, which was released on the same day the Hollman family viewed the officer's body camera video.