On the evening of May 18, Atlanta police shot and killed what they described as an “unruly” Black man inside the popular restaurant Fogo de Chao in Buckhead.
Atlanta police say that they received a call about an unruly person, who was identified as 22-year-old Nygil Cullins, in the restaurant. When they arrived they approached him and tried to escort him out of the restaurant. That’s when Cullins became uncooperative and an officer used their stun gun, which didn’t have an affect on him.
The encounter spilled over toward the front door as Cullins managed to get on his feet and leave the restaurant, but one of the security guards from the restaurant tackled him.
That’s when Cullins pulled out a gun and fired one shot toward the security guard, which wounded him. Officers then responded by fatally shooting him.
Cullins’ mother, Mya Speller Cullins, said to WSBTV that her son struggled with mental health issues and he wasn’t in the right state of mind during the day. Hours before the shooting, she called 911 to try and get him to the hospital for help.
“I would rather have him be in a psychiatric hospital as opposed to him being outside in a body bag,” she told the news.
One of Cullins’ friends was supposed to meet him at the restaurant, but before she could get there, she received calls that he had been shot.
“I understand that he had a confrontation with somebody, but why was he shot,” Tonjae Burnett said to the AJC. “It’s just so unreal because I was just with him.”
