APD defends its response to protests by family and friends

ATLANTA – Family and friends of Nygil Cullins gathered outside the Buckhead restaurant where he was killed by Atlanta police in 2022. The protest comes days after Atlanta police released the 911 calls and video monitoring of the incident.

Protesters, including Cullins' family, friends and supporters, gathered Friday outside Fogo de Chão restaurant, briefly blocking traffic on Piedmont Road. Chanting “Justice for Nygil Cullins,” they demanded accountability for his death.

Body camera footage shows Cullins raising his hands when he is first confronted by police. According to his family, police unnecessarily escalated the situation by using a Taser on Cullins after he fell to the ground. The images were released two years after the events.

During a virtual press conference earlier today, Fox 5 asked APD Chief Darin Schierbaum if the officers acted in accordance with their training and protocols. Schierbaum responded: “This is a very chaotic situation with an erratic individual with a handgun in a restaurant. We have looked at it from start to finish and we see that everything was, in fact, appropriate to our point of view.”

APD presented a slowed-down version of the video, which appears to show Cullins reaching for his gun before being subpoenaed. The video also shows that after Cullins shot a security guard who attacked him, the officers shot Cullins again as he appeared to reach for his gun a second time.

However, Cullins' mother, Mya Cullins, believes police escalated the situation and created danger. She said: “It’s disheartening, it’s sickening and something has to happen,” noting that her son was going through a mental health crisis at the time.

Cullins' attorney, James Howard, agreed, saying, “The problem is that [police] can create danger… either they can defuse the situation… or they can aggravate the situation, corner the person, scare them. »

The family claims the body camera footage was released only because they are suing the city in federal court. Chief Schierbaum denied this claim, stating, “This has nothing to do with the lawsuit filed.” »

When then asked why the APD waited two years to release the video, Schierbaum replied: “Very recently we reached an agreement with the two coal investigative entities, namely the Bureau of Georgia investigation, as well as the prosecutor's office for a 60-year investigation. one day review. Going forward, this agreement was obviously not in effect in 2022.”

Despite the justifications put forward by the APD, the family is still not convinced and plans to continue their protests, in order to obtain accountability for the shooting.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Mya Cullins said.

Video of deadly shooting in Fogo de Chão released

In the video, Cullins can be seen at the bar at Fogo De Chao in Buckhead on May 18, 2022, where he was working. At one point, Cullins gets a bottle of alcohol from the bar.

“We have a guy here with a gun, and he’s acting very, very strange,” a 911 caller said.

“He didn’t point the gun, but he’s yelling at everyone,” the caller added in a second call.

Twenty-six minutes after the initial 911 call, officers responded. APD edited the video with a red circle highlighting Cullins with the gun. The video shows officers using Tasers on Cullins. He runs and grabs what police say is this gun. When a security guard attacked him, police say Cullins shot and injured the officer.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VIDEO RELEASE, CALL 911

“You see him tackled, you see the shot, you don’t see who shot it,” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs said.

The police then opened fire. Ten shots are heard, then a pause before five more are fired.

PREVIOUS STORY: Parents of man shot by Atlanta police at Buckhead restaurant demand justice

“All they had to do was go talk to him. They just came in and tried to grab him by force,” Quinten said.

“It's disgusting that they can sit and paint a picture that still isn't true. A lot of things in their initial story don't match what we saw,” added Nygil's mother, Mya Cullins.

Nygil Cullins Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Last month, Cullins' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, the restaurant and others over Nygil's death.

Nygil's mother said he suffered from mental health issues and had a facility where he could get help, but the transport they arrested that evening arrived too late .

“How did we get to the point where Nygil is being stopped by security, how did we get to the point where he's being tazed when he didn't do anything wrong and now he's scared and he believes that “He's running for his life,” said Cullins family lawyer Leif Howard.

PREVIOUS STORY: Family of man killed by Atlanta police at Buckhead restaurant files lawsuit

The Fulton County Prosecutor's Office will be the one to determine whether charges will be filed. Atlanta Police confirm that the officers involved in this incident are still active employees of the Atlanta Police Department.