Atlanta

Family of man killed by Atlanta officer 3 years ago says justice is taking too long

ATLANTA — A family says the wheels of justice are moving too slowly as they wait to see if an Atlanta police officer will be indicted for shooting and killing their son.

Jimmy Atchison, 21, was shot and killed in January 2019.

The Fulton County Public Integrity Unit recommended that the former police officer be charged, but that hasn’t happened.

Atchison’s family told Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston that they are frustrated.

“He destroyed our lives, and it will never be the same,” aunt Tammy Featherstone said.

She told Huddleston that former Atlanta police officer Sung Kim destroyed her family after he shot and killed Atchison.

Kim and an FBI task force were searching for him after he was accused of armed robbery. They found him at his apartment complex, hiding in a closet.

Kim said Atchison made a threatening move with a weapon. But nothing was ever found at the scene.

That was almost three years ago.

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“All we ask for is fairness and justice. Fairness, truth and justice,” Atchison’s father Jimmy Hill said.

Hill said he wants Kim charged with murder.

They first started working with former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard on the case. Now they are working with District Attorney Fani Willis. So far, no charges have been filed.

Huddleston talked with the DA’s staff on Wednesday, and they said the case is of the highest priority, but the investigation continues.

A decision on whether to charge Kim should be reached in 2022.

“We want some type of closure. We just want Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to do the right thing and indict Sung Kim for the murder of my son,” Hill said.

Kim resigned from the force. Huddleston is still working to contact him.

Atchison’s family is also suing the city for $20 million.

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