MARIETTA, Ga. — The family of Vincent Truitt and their attorneys will hold a rally and march in Marietta today as they say they continue to seek justice in the case.
It will be held at 1 p.m. in Marietta Square.
Truitt, 17, was shot and killed by a Cobb County Police Department officer at the end of a chase in July 2020.
The shooting was ruled justified by a Cobb County grand jury earlier this year, and the family's attorneys say Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady has closed the case.
Police body cam video showed the teen was shot as he ran from officers after getting out of a car in which he had been a passenger. Officers had pursued it following a report of a stolen vehicle.
The police narrative contended Truitt had "brandished" a weapon as he ran, with his family and attorneys saying the video showed he was running with his back to the officer who fired, never pointing anything at him or even turning back toward him, and clearly did not pose a threat.
Attorneys for Truitt's family also argued that, "Under Georgia law, there's no such thing as brandishing. You're either pointing a pistol at another, or you're committing aggravated assault, neither of which happened."
According to an autopsy report, released by the Law Firm of Gerald Griggs, Truitt died after being shot twice in the back. His death was ruled a homicide.
The DA's office said the grand jury reviewed substantial materials related to the shooting - including the body camera and dash camera videos from every officer that responded, witness testimony, stills from multiple vantage points, and slowed down video from the body camera. Those videos, which were not all shared with the media, purported to show a gun in Truitt's right hand, visible from multiple angles.
“You can clearly see, the weapon that he’s holding that was recovered on the ground at the end of the video,' said Deputy Chief Asst. District Attorney Jason Saliba.
The officer didn’t give any command to drop the weapon before firing. Cobb DA Broady the officer wasn’t required to.
"The law says if a officer is chasing a felon who has a weapon, who poses a threat to others, he has the right to use deadly force," he said.
Truitt's mother, Venethia Cook-Lewis, described her son last year as an adored older sibling, a star athlete, an active member of his church, a frequent volunteer and a budding entrepreneur with an interest in fashion and design.
She said the shooting "stole our future."
"I will never be the same. I died with my son that day," she said. "My poor baby never saw it coming, he was running away, since when did running away become a death sentence?"