COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The death of a Cobb County teen shot and killed by police has been a ruled a homicide by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.
On July 13, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Cobb police tried to stop three teens in a stolen car on Riverside Parkway in Austell. The driver led officers on a chase and stopped behind a building.
Cobb police said officers approached the stolen car and two of the teens ran. The GBI said one of them brandished a gun and an officer fired his gun.
Vincent Truitt, 17, was the passenger in the vehicle, according to his attorney Gerald Griggs.
[RELATED: Family of teen shot, killed by officer calls out Cobb police chief on vacation]
#BREAKING #VincentTruitt death ruled a homicide, per Cobb County Medical Examiner report. Two gunshots entered the 17-year old’s back. Fatal shot entered through lower back. @AttorneyGriggs & Truitt family demanding video of the July 13th police shooting on Riverside Pkwy. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/XVHlHve3W0
— Chris Jose (@ChrisJoseWSB) October 5, 2020
Griggs said Truitt got out of the car and never brandished a gun as he ran away from the officer. Griggs said the officer fired two shots at Truitt’s back.
On Monday, the Cobb County Medical Examiner released a report saying, “It is my opinion that Vincent Truitt died as a result of multiple (2) gunshot wounds to the torso. Based on the information available at this time, the manner of death is classified as Homicide.”
“This is a huge development. One of the most important parts about it is it was from intermittent range, meaning it was not a close-range shot,” Griggs said.
Truitt’s family held a march over the weekend demanding transparency and all video of the incident released, including from police body cams.
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“My child died alone,” Truitt’s mother Venethia Cook-Lewis said. “No parent should have to bury their son.”
Channel 2 Action News asked Cobb County Police Chief Tim Cox by phone why they would not release the video.
“I think what needs to be done is let the independent investigation be completed and turned over to the DA’s office,” Cox said.
Griggs said Truitt never waved a gun. He believes the officer fired two shots at Truitt’s back as he ran away.
“We need to see that video, the dash camera and the body camera so that we can fully understand what happened,” Griggs said.
Griggs say Truitt’s family is shaken up over the ruling. They plan to meet with the Cobb County District Attorney this week about possible criminal charges in light of the homicide ruling.
Right now, the officer who fired his weapon remains on the force.
The GBI continues to investigate this case.
Channel 2′s Chris Jose and Sophia Choi contributed to this article.
Cox Media Group
