North Fulton Today

Vincent Truitt's family has filed a $150 million lawsuit against Cobb County more than a year after the teenager was shot and killed by police as he was running away from officers.

An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found Truitt, who was 17 at the time, was one of three teenagers inside a stolen vehicle involved in a July 2020 police chase, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. An officer shot Truitt in the back twice as he started running away after the pursuit. Investigators have said Truitt was armed with a handgun when he was shot.

"You can clearly see, in this area, the weapon that he's holding that was recovered just on the ground at the end of the video," Assistant District Attorney Jason Saliba said during a press conference last year, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

The Cobb County District Attorney's Office did not pursue criminal charges against police officer Max Karneol after a civil grand jury found he was justified with his use of deadly force because Truitt possessed a firearm, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Attorneys for Truitt's family said the teenager did not pose any danger to law enforcement, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. During a recent press conference, attorney Maria O. Banjo stated that just because a black American has a gun, "It does not give law enforcement a blank slate to respond, to shoot and kill as they see fit."

Truitt family attorneys weren't happy with how the case was handled, expressing concern that the case was put before a civil grand jury, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The attorneys want "progressive prosecution" and to see Truitt's case go before a criminal grand jury.