ATLANTA — The family of a man shot and killed by Atlanta Police at a Buckhead restaurant is speaking out after the recent release of bodycam footage two years after the initial incident.
Nygil Cullins was killed by police officers responding at Fogo de Chão along Piedmont Road NE, a restaurant he was at, on May 18, 2022. Since that day, his parents and attorneys have been actively fighting for transparency and for the release of full, unedited video of what happened that night.
The family says Nygil was suffering from a mental health crisis when the shooting happened.
On Monday, APD released both videos from the involved officers' body cameras and videos from the restaurant's surveillance cameras to the public.
However, the Cullins family, along with their attorneys, said they are now left with more questions than answers after viewing the footage themselves, arguing that it doesn't show the full scope of the incident.
"We are disturbed by some of the editing in the bodycam," attorneys noted on Tuesday, with Cullins' mother adding, "It's disgusting...A lot of things in the initial narrative do not equate to what we saw."
Attorneys stated they want an unedited version of the footage released so there can be more transparency as to what led officers to use such force, arguing from their understanding that Nygil was not breaking any law and police were generating a "false narrative."
Speaking during the press conference, Nygil's father revealed how difficult the tape was to watch in the first place.
"I didn't get sleep last night...to see your son afraid while being approached by law enforcement, that's all I can see in my head," he stated, fighting back tears. "To see your son lifeless, arms dangling, that's not how you want to remember your son."
When asked later on if she felt there was an attempt to hide the truth about what happened to her son, Nygil's mother merely exclaimed, "If you had to ask that question, I think you already know the answer."
For now, the family and their attorneys are in a state of waiting, claiming they have no word where APD stands in its investigation and knowing the district attorney's office can not take its own look until that happens.
Background on the case
Nygil Cullins' parents previously said the deadly shooting was preceded by a mental health episode. His mother, Mya, previously told 11Alive she had gone to her son's apartment and felt that he "wasn't well."
They called the police prior to Nygil going to the restaurant on Piedmont Road and specifically asked for someone well-trained in dealing with mental health episodes it was a fear of hers that he would be murdered by police.
"When I got on the phone with them, I said, 'He's an African American male; please make sure whoever shows up is trained and knowledgeable, so when they deal with my son, I don't have to worry about my son being killed,'" she said.
Nygil's mother previously said she called the Riverwood Behavioral Health System ahead of time to make sure they had a bed available and told 911 dispatchers she would follow police there and fill out the paperwork when they arrived.
According to her account, police took nearly two hours to show up, and when they arrived, they missed Nygil by around 10 minutes. Despite efforts to keep him at the apartment, he had left and eventually made his way to the Buckhead restaurant.
APD said that around 7 p.m. that night, they were sent there regarding an "unruly patron who was armed with a handgun." APD said in its video released Monday that the caller advised the guest was yelling at employees and wanting to drink alcohol.
Based on previously released information, officers encountered Nygil and attempted to escort him out. They said he was not cooperative, and the encounter escalated to a physical altercation where the officer deployed a Taser.
APD previously said the Taser was not effective and that Nygil began heading toward the door when he was tackled by a security guard. The agency said that he then got out his gun and fired one round that hit the guard. APD stated that at least one of their officers discharged their gun and killed Nygil. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was then called in to investigate the shooting and turn over its findings to the district attorney's office.
In May, the family announced a federal lawsuit against the City of Atlanta, Fogo de Chão, the restaurant's security team, the security guard and the two APD officers who responded. The federal lawsuits claim negligence, inadequate training and excessive and deadly force all contributed to the shooting.