diff --git a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
index 55193c45d7..a6ba20fe73 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster/kickstarter.js
@@ -356,13 +356,10 @@ launchActions.createSystemColls = function (dispatchers, cmd, isRelaunch) {
 shutdownActions.startAgent = function (dispatchers, cmd, run) {
   console.info("Shutting down agent %s", JSON.stringify(run.pid));
   killExternal(run.pid);
-  statusExternal(run.pid);
   return {"error": false, "isStartAgent": true};
 };
 
 shutdownActions.sendConfiguration = function (dispatchers, cmd, run) {
-  console.info("Waiting for 3 seconds for servers before shutting down agency.");
-  wait(3);
   return {"error": false, "isSendConfiguration": true};
 };
 
@@ -379,12 +376,15 @@ shutdownActions.startServers = function (dispatchers, cmd, run) {
     }
     download(url,"",{method:"GET", headers: hdrs});
   }
-  console.info("Waiting 3 seconds for servers to shutdown gracefully...");
-  wait(3);
+  console.info("Waiting 5 seconds for servers to shutdown gracefully...");
+  wait(5);
   for (i = 0;i < run.pids.length;i++) {
-    console.info("Shutting down %s the hard way...", JSON.stringify(run.pids[i]));
-    killExternal(run.pids[i]);
-    statusExternal(run.pids[i]);
+    var s = statusExternal(run.pids[i]);
+    if (s.status !== "TERMINATED") {
+      console.info("Shutting down %s the hard way...", 
+                   JSON.stringify(run.pids[i]));
+      killExternal(run.pids[i]);
+    }
   }
   return {"error": false, "isStartServers": true};
 };
diff --git a/lib/BasicsC/process-utils.c b/lib/BasicsC/process-utils.c
index 531d5d7913..e5c453a180 100644
--- a/lib/BasicsC/process-utils.c
+++ b/lib/BasicsC/process-utils.c
@@ -970,7 +970,12 @@ TRI_external_status_t TRI_CheckExternalProcess (TRI_external_id_t pid,
 
 #ifndef _WIN32
 static bool ourKillProcess(TRI_external_t* pid) {
-  return (0 != kill(pid->_pid, SIGTERM));
+  bool success;
+  int loc;
+  success = (0 != kill(pid->_pid, SIGTERM));
+  // And wait for it to avoid a zombie:
+  waitpid(pid->_pid, &loc, WUNTRACED);
+  return success;
 }
 #else
 static bool ourKillProcess(TRI_external_t* pid) {
@@ -1019,6 +1024,8 @@ bool TRI_KillExternalProcess (TRI_external_id_t pid) {
   TRI_external_t* external;
   size_t i;
   bool ok = true;
+  bool success;
+  int loc;
 
   TRI_LockMutex(&ExternalProcessesLock);
 
@@ -1034,7 +1041,10 @@ bool TRI_KillExternalProcess (TRI_external_id_t pid) {
     TRI_UnlockMutex(&ExternalProcessesLock);
 #ifndef _WIN32
     // Kill just in case:
-    return (0 != kill(pid._pid, SIGTERM));
+    success = (0 != kill(pid._pid, SIGTERM));
+    // And wait for it to avoid a zombie:
+    waitpid(pid._pid, &loc, WUNTRACED);
+    return success;
 #else
     return ourKillProcessPID(pid._pid);
 #endif