Atlanta police to withhold body cam footage of church deacon who died after being tased

September 26th, 2023

Arnitra Hollman speaks at a press conference in August about the death of her father, 63-year-old Johnny Hollman, who died after a traffic stop with Atlanta police. The department now says it will make changes to its traffic citation procedure. (Chamian Cruz/WABE)

The City of Atlanta said it will not release the body camera footage related to the death of Johnny Hollman.

The Atlanta Police Department made swift changes to its traffic citation procedure after the 62-year-old deacon died in August when a police officer trying to serve him a traffic ticket shocked him with a taser.

But, the city’s attorney, Nina Hickson, says the state has asked for the footage not to be released.

“We’ve been specifically requested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation not to release those along with the [district attorney], and at this point, they’ve asked us not to release those items publicly until the investigations are over,” Hickson said.

According to the attorney, the decision is backed by the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

However, Hollman’s family, who raised concerns from the start about the officer’s use of force, continues to call for the video to be made public and for the officer involved to be arrested and prosecuted.

They were privately shown a portion of the footage earlier this month.

At the city’s public safety and legal administration committee meeting on Monday, Sept. 25, Councilman Antonio Lewis asked that the city clarify what body camera footage is and isn’t subject to release.

“Is there a specific reason why we aren’t releasing the tape for Nygil Cullins?” Lewis said. “I’ve had the same folks reach out to me about the Nygil Cullins murder.”

Deputy Chief Timothy Peek gave a vague response.

“I have to go back and look at the specifics, but I’m sure that it’s going to be very, very similar to the [Hollman] incident,” Peek said.

Cullins, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed by Atlanta police last year at Fogo de Chao – a Brazilian steakhouse in Buckhead.

According to authorities, restaurant staff called for help with an unruly patron, who was later identified as Cullins. But when officers tried to escort him out, they used a stun gun, which “had a negative effect on the subject.”

Later, when Cullins pulled out a gun and fired at a guard, officers responded by fatally shooting him. Cullins’ family said at the time that he had been diagnosed with mental health issues and bipolar schizophrenia.

Lewis said he was concerned that while Cullins’ family is still awaiting answers, the Atlanta Police Department was quick to release video footage of disturbances by protesters at the site of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center.

“Transparency is key,” Lewis said.

Hickson said the decision depends on whether or not the Atlanta Police Department is leading the investigation.

There was a record 112 officer-involved shootings in 2022, which the GBI was asked to investigate.

So far this year, there have been 71. Atlanta police are responsible for three. Only one has been fatal. However, the total does not include people who have died from police use of tasers or other encounters.