A vigil for a non-binary engineering student who was shot and killed by Georgia Tech campus police turned into a violent riot Monday.
Protesters are accused of setting a police car on fire as a group of 50 marched to the Georgia Tech Police Department. One officer is in the hospital and three demonstrators are in jail, according to a WAGA Fox 5 reporter.
The university tweeted Monday evening: ‘Stay inside due to violent protests on campus. Avoid Hemphill Avenue. Stay inside until told otherwise.’
The protests followed the death of Scout Schultz, 21, who was killed by campus police after they thought the student was threatening them with a small knife.
Protesters set a cop car on fire in response to the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old student
Protesters marched towards the Georgia Tech Police Department in protest of a student who was killed by campus police Saturday
Scout Schultz, 21, was seen walking toward police on Saturday before being shot dead. Schultz’s parents are asking why non-lethal or de-escalation tactics weren’t used
The tense encounter was caught on camera – in which the student can be seen walking closer and closer to the police officers and shouting ‘shoot me.’
‘Nobody wants to hurt you,’ one of the officers can be heard saying.
Schultz was then shot once and immediately crumpled to the ground, screaming out in pain.
None of the police officers involved have been identified, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the shooting.
According to a press release from the bureau, the Georgia Tech campus police received a 911 call of a ‘person with a knife and a gun’ at 11.17pm Saturday night.
The release says Schultz was ‘not cooperative and would not comply with the officers commands.
‘Schultz continued to advance on the officers with a knife… Subsequently, one officer fired striking Schultz.’
Georgia Tech warned students to stay inside until further notice because of the protesters
One officer is in the hospital and three demonstrators are in jail according to a WAGA Fox 5 reporter
People were seen running from the scene as the university tweeted telling students to stay inside for their own safety
Schultz’s parents have hired trial attorney L Chris Stewart to represent them ahead of the investigation into their child’s death.
Their mother Lynn told the New York Daily News Schultz was a ‘nonconformist and very, very bright.’
She said Schultz had a ‘lot of empathy for other people.’
At Georgia Tech, Schultz was president of the school’s Pride Alliance, which is a student organization for LGBTQ students and allies.
The Pride Alliance released a statement that described Schultz as ‘the driving force’ behind the group thanks to their ‘hard work and dedication’.
‘We love you Scout and we will continue to push for change,’ the statement concluded.