Man who was shot and killed by police in Kendall had a violent history, records show

Miami-Dade police fatally shot 21-year-old Richard Hollis after he allegedly wielded a knife during a “violent encounter” with his mother in Kendall. Hollis, records show, had a history of strife with his own family and neighbors.

Hollis had been awaiting trial after he was arrested in April 2021 on allegations he attacked an 88-year-old neighbor who complained about the man repeatedly walking his large dog without a leash. Police said he pushed the man to the ground, then kicked him, at the Kendall apartment complex where they both lived, according to an arrest report.

Hollis was also charged with battery on a law-enforcement officer after police said he slammed the door on the face an officer who came to arrest him. Officers had to stun him with a Taser, an arrest report said. The charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

His trial for felony battery on an elderly person was set for July 11.

Three years ago, Hollis was arrested after his mother called police to report that he was “screaming at her” while they were driving, then started to yank her by the hair. The argument, he claimed, was over food, according to an arrest report. The case of misdemeanor battery was later dropped.

That same month, he filed for a restraining order against his mother, claiming she’d been “following him,” punched his computer and “threatened his education.” Hollis also claimed his mother had bit him in the past, leading to her arrest and “his emancipation by law.” He later withdrew the request for a restraining order, saying he wanted to “repair” his relationship with his mother.

Court records show the emancipation — freeing him from his mother’s legal guardianship — was granted by a Miami-Dade court in December 2017.

What led to Wednesday night’s argument between mother and son remains unclear. The shooting happened just before 8:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 8000 block of Southwest 149th Avenue

The police shooting will be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and prosecutors will eventually decide if officers broke any laws in using deadly force.

This report will be updated.