Atlanta

Family holds vigil three years after man shot by police during arrest

ATLANTA — Jimmy Atchison’s family held a vigil today insisting they finally get some answers three years after he was shot and killed when Atlanta police tried to arrest him.

Atchinson was wanted for armed robbery, and police found him in an apartment closet. A now-former Atlanta police officer said Atchinson made a threatening movement so he shot him.

That was three years ago, and the case still hasn’t gone to a grand jury.

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Family, friends and community activist gathered on the Fulton County courthouse steps Friday morning to remember Atchinson.

“This is pain,” his father, Jimmy Atchinson, said.

Saturday marks three years since a former Atlanta police officer Sung Kim shot and killed Atchinson.

Family attorney Tanya Miller spoke about critical details in a report provided by former District Attorney Paul Howard back in 2020.

“Three years later, still in the cold still asking why Sun Kim walks among us free without having the opportunity to have a grand jury decide his fate,” Miller said. “The FBI concluded that Sung Kim and those other task force officers should not have entered the apartment that they entered where Jimmy Atchinson was killed. We know from the investigation that Sung Kim misrepresented the facts to obtain a warrant for Jimmy Atchinson. We know without that Jimmy was unarmed and surrendering when he was shot in the head by Sung Kim.”

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His father said if the family has to protest every day, they will.

“My son’s life matters. We will continue to fight even if it takes our last breath,” he said.

Miller said they family met with Fulton County DA Fanni Willis a year ago.

Miller said she asked for time to review the case file. Miller said since then the wheels of justice haven’t moved at all.

“We’ve been told this case is a priority, but we have no sense of when this case might be presented to a grand jury,” Miller said.

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Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway reached out to the Fulton County DA’s office and they sent a statement saying:

“The district attorney’s anti-corruption unit is working through the large backlog of cases involving police use of force left by the prior administration. A decision on whether to present this particular case to a grand jury for charges will be made by the end of 2022.”

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