ATLANTA, Ga. — Hundreds gathered in the streets of Atlanta on Thursday and held a peaceful demonstration after a church deacon died during an encounter with police earlier this month.
The protest comes after Mayor Andre Dickens announced on Tuesday a probe of the Atlanta Police Department’s standards and training after an encounter with police that left 62-year-old Johnny Hollman dead.
“Every single life in Atlanta is important and matters to me. Every single death in this city weighs on my heart,” Dickens said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Hollman, a church deacon, became unresponsive during an arrest.
According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Hollman, was a father who also served as chairman of deacons at a southwest Atlanta church for 15 years. Hollman’s vehicle was involved in a minor crash on Aug. 10 while driving home. Hollman died after an encounter with Officer Kiran Kimbrough. The officer has been placed on administrative leave during an investigation, which is in line with Atlanta Police Department policy.
Dickens said is will be a “top-to-bottom evaluation” of the interaction.
On Tuesday, the mayor said that the officer will receive “due process.” He also said he plans to share the results of the review of Atlanta PD’s operating procedures.
More about the investigation, including new video of the encounter, can be found here.
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