ATLANTA — The company that manufactures the Taser used in the death of Deacon Johnny Hollman is challenging the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report on Hollman’s death.
Axon Enterprise, a company that supplies the Atlanta Police Department with body cameras and Tasers, told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln on Friday that more education is needed about the effects of their devices when coming in contact with human skin.
In August, Hollman died after being Tased by an Atlanta police officer after he was involved in a minor traffic accident. The Fulton County Medical Examiner and Axon both confirmed that he was Tased twice in his arm.
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In a body camera video released by APD of the struggle, former APD officer Kiran Kimbrough is seen pulling out his Taser and deploying a “warning arc.” Axon says this creates a buzzing sound with the Taser but has no skin contact.
When the Taser touched Hollman’s skin, Axon said it affected the upper layers of skin and fat level.
The medical examiner found that Hollman’s heart rhythm was disrupted from being stunned. However, Axon says their Taser has no effects on the heart muscle.
According to medical experts at Johns Hopkins University, because Hollman suffered from pre-existing severe heart conditions, they believe that the likely cause of his death was due to exertion from the altercation between Hollman and Kimbrough.
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Hollman’s family said that regardless of whether it was the Taser or exertion, it was Kimbrough’s excessive use of force that killed him.
“No, he was his killed. Let’s be clear he was murdered,” his family said during a press conference when the body camera footage was released. “We’re asking for the officer to be jailed or prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens extended his sympathy to Hollman’s family.
“I’ve directed APD to conduct a top-to-bottom review and evaluation of the incident and a top-to-bottom review of the department’s Standard Operating Procedures and training curriculum,” Dickens said.
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Officials added that there have been policy changes since Hollman’s death, including revising the policy allowing officers to write refusal to sign on the ticket rather than making an arrest, expediting the launch of a civilian response unit with unarmed trained civilians to respond to low-risk calls, and developing a new policy between the District Attorney’s office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation when considering the release of video evidence in the use of force cases.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis is still reviewing the case.
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