CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The parents of a Florida Tech student who was killed by police spoke out in public for the first time on Wednesday.
Melbourne, Florida police said 18-year-old Alhaji Sow, who is from Riverdale, was chasing students with a knife before police confronted him on Dec. 3. During the confrontation, police said Sow lunged at an officer, which led to a police officer and a campus security officer shooting at him. Officers attempted lifesaving measures, but Sow died at the scene.
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A family attorney announced that the family will conduct an investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Sow’s family wants to know how and why their son was shot to death by police.
The family’s attorney also wants to know why the campus security guard only had a gun and not a non-lethal option.
Attorney Greg Francis said the school’s crisis management training is being investigated.
Sow’s family said he had no history of mental illness and was a first-semester student at Florida Tech.
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Francis said the family will be requesting any body camera or cell phone footage that was taken.
The attorney said Sow posed no threat to other students.
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Florida Tech is a private research university in Melbourne, which is about an hour southeast of Orlando.
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