ATLANTA — Just over six months after 62-year-old Johnny Hollman died after being Tased during a physical exchange with an Atlanta Police officer, his family hosted a benefit concert.
Atlanta rap group The Shop Boyz headlined the event, as the family says a member is related to Hollman.
Anitra Hollman is celebrating her father's birthday without him for the first time. It just passed on Feb. 2.
"I don't want to cry, but it is very heartbreaking to not have him here, because my daddy should be here with us," Anitra said. "I mean, his life shouldn't have ended over a traffic ticket."
Back on Aug. 10, Johnny got into a car accident in Southwest Atlanta. Johnny was ruled at fault by former Atlanta Police officer Kiran Kimbrough. When Johnny declined to sign the citation, body camera footage shows there was a physical struggle. Johnny was tased and according to the Fulton County medical examiner eventually died from a heart condition. Kimbrough was fired for summoning his supervisor.
"If that was my father, and the shoe was on the other foot, where do you think my father would be? He still wouldn't be walking the street," Anitra said.
Anitra wants Kimbrough held accountable.
"He's moving on with his life, but my father, when we go visit my father, we visit him at Lincoln Cemetery," Anitra said.
Kimbrough also said she wants the tow truck driver who was at the scene to be held accountable.
"If you came in to tow a truck, your job wasn't to run over there and aid this police officer in helping kill my father," Anitra said.
To honor her dad, Anitra and her family brought together the hip-hop community tonight for a benefit concert in her father's name. Artists such as Amazon Godezz understand the tensions between the African American community and the police.
"I have an obligation to raise awareness to pressing social issues," Godezz said.
Godezz said she performed a song about gun violence that was personal to her.
Artist Young Z 05 said he has loved ones who have been personally affected.
"It's sad to say that it's common, especially in this area, but us as music, Black people, we want to make a stand," Young Z 05 said.
The family has marched and pleaded, but now the Atlanta community has a chance to rally behind them.
"We want to see charges filed," Anitra said. "We want to see an indictment. We want to see an arrest because it was plain-out murder."
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation did open an investigation into Johnny's death, and his family recently sued the former APD officer and the City of Atlanta.