ATLANTA — The family of an Atlanta deacon, who died after being tased by police, met with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Tuesday.
Deacon Johnny Hollman's family held a news conference following their meeting with Willis. They are demanding the arrest and prosecution of now-former Atlanta Police Officer Kiran Kimbrough and the tow truck driver who was also allegedly involved.
This is the second time they have met with Willis since the incident and the first time they met with her since the body camera footage was released.
Attorneys for the family mentioned that Willis said she would continue to investigate the incident but had not yet decided whether charges would be filed.
Still, family members who spoke at the press conference, namely Hollman's daughter, seemed hopeful they would receive justice.
"Me, personally, I'm optimistic," said Arnitra Hollman, the deacon's eldest daughter.
She also had sharp words for lawmakers, who she claimed needed to improve their approach to holding law enforcement accountable.
"You got to do better with helping families like us get the prosecution that we need to see," she said passionately. "You can't tie the prosecutor's hand and expect them to do a job to help these families because it doesn't help us."
As for her thoughts on Willis, Anitra exclaimed, "We feel like she's going to do what she says she's going to do...we feel like her team is going to do the investigation and do the work that they promised that they would. But we also got to make sure that we are out here voting. We got to make sure legislations are going in the right direction. We got to make sure that the lawmakers are looking out for us because we are the ones that are hurting. We are the ones that are feeling the affect of this. We are the ones that are suffering."
Before ending the announcement, Anitra shouted with fire and fury, "'When is it going to stop? When are y'all going to get tired of this?'"
More on Deacon Johnny Hollman's death
Hollman, 62, died due to the shock from a taser, which sent him into Cardiac Dysrhythmia, an autopsy report revealed. His encounter with police happened on Aug. 10, 2023.
That night, Hollman was driving along Cunningham Place in southwest Atlanta when he got into an accident and called the police. During the encounter, an officer determined Hollman was at fault for the crash and attempted to issue him a traffic citation.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation previously said Hollman became "non-compliant" when the officer attempted to take him into custody. A Taser was then deployed as Hollman continued to resist arrest, the GBI said.
Atlanta Police previously described the encounter as "several minutes of struggling" between the deacon and the arresting officer. Hollman became unresponsive shortly after, and EMS was called to respond. Hollman was taken to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Aug. 11 shortly before 1 a.m., the medical examiner's report stated.
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Johnny Hollman
Videos from the body camera worn by Kimbrough were eventually released by officials.
The officer was terminated over the incident for failing to "have a supervisor on the scene prior to proceeding with the physical arrest after Mr. Hollman refused to sign the citation." He has not been charged.
The meeting with the DA comes after the Atlanta City Council unanimously approved a $3.8 million settlement for his death in early May. The resolution on the settlement states the plaintiffs have agreed to accept the amount. It will go to Hollman's estate.
"We will not rest until the people responsible for our father's death are criminally prosecuted. We will continue to ask a simple question: 'What about the Deacon?'" Arnitra Hollman, the deacon's eldest daughter, questioned.
Arnitra has extensively been involved with getting justice for her father after his death. She was on the phone with him moments before his death.
"The next time I heard my daddy's voice, he was in distress. I heard my daddy beg for help," Arnitra previously said.
Deacon Hollman told the officer, "I can't breathe," 15 times, attorneys previously said in a news release.