Killing of Scout Schultz

Scout Schultz was born in Rockville, Maryland in 1995.[1][2][3] They were born with hypospadias.[1] The Schultz family later moved to Lilburn, Georgia.[2][4] Scout was a fourth year computer engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology,[2][5] and expected to graduate a semester early according to their father.[3] They were bisexual, nonbinary and intersex and used singular they pronouns.[6] They were the president of Pride Alliance on campus.[5][4]

Schultz, who suffered from clinical depression, had spent time in counseling after attempting suicide by hanging in 2015.[7]

Schultz, a 21-year-old student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, called 9-1-1 on September 16, 2017, around 11:17 p.m. They said there was a suspicious person on campus with a knife and possibly a gun. They gave a description matching their own appearance, saying that the person had long blond hair, a white t-shirt, and blue jeans, and said that the person might be intoxicated.[8][9]

Four police officers approached Schultz outside a dormitory on campus.[8][10] They had a multitool, which included a small knife, but no gun.[9] According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the multitool's blade was not extended.[11] However, given the earlier call and the lack of light, the police had a reason to suspect a gun. Schultz refused to drop the multitool and walked towards the police, with their arms hanging down, while shouting "shoot me!"[2][12] They were then shot and shortly after were pronounced dead at the Grady Memorial Hospital.[8] The incident was captured on a cell-phone video.[12]

Three suicide notes were found in Schultz's dorm room.[9]

The police officer who shot them was identified as Tyler Beck.[10] According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Beck was certified by the Georgia Peace Officer and Standards Training Council (POST) but had not undergone Crisis Intervention Training, which trains police on how to handle mentally ill suspects."[10] Shortly after the shooting, Beck was put on paid leave.[13]

Schultz's family attorney, Chris Stewart, said the police overreacted.[5] Stewart said the idea that the death was a "suicide by cop" did not justify what happened.[14] He also said, "The area was secured. There was no one around at risk."[6] Schultz's mother, Lynne Schultz, suggested the police should have used pepper spray or Tasers instead of gunning them down.[7] (According to a spokesman, Georgia Tech police are equipped with the former but not the latter.[9]) Scout's father, William Schultz, said at a news conference, "Why did you have to shoot? That's the only question that matters right now. Why did you kill my son?"[15]

G. P. "Bud" Peterson, the president of Georgia Tech, said the shooting was a "heart-wrenchingly painful time" for the university.[16] Despite Schultz not finishing senior year, Georgia Tech awarded them a diploma.[17]

The shooting was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.[7] In September 2018, with the investigation still on-going, the parents announced that they had grown frustrated with the lack of criminal charges.[17] Schultz's parents filed a wrongful death suit naming the university, Tyler Beck, and the Georgia Board of Regents in September 2019.[18]

In March 2020, the county's district attorney announced that Beck would not face charges, saying that, according to use-of-force experts, the shooting was justified.[14]

In December 2021, Georgia Tech announced a settlement with the family of Schultz for $1 million.[19]

A peaceful vigil for Schultz was held on campus on September 18, 2017.[20]

Twenty minutes later, about 50 protesters marched through campus[21] while carrying a banner which read "Protect LGBTQ" and chanting "Justice Now".[20] The protest turned violent and a police car was set on fire.[22] Three people were arrested, one of them a Georgia Tech student.[13] They were charged with "inciting a riot and battery of an officer."[20] In the following weeks three more people were arrested for "misdemeanor obstruction of law enforcement."[23] Schultz's parents appealed for calm.[24]

On September 22, a teach-in and protest occurred at Georgia Tech, which led to the Student Center building being closed early at 3 p.m.[25]

In 2018, in response to Schultz's death, queer student leaders established the Mental Health Joint Allocations Committee, a $1,000,000 fund to improve campus mental health. These funds have been allocated towards a new LGBTQ+ center, telemental health services, therapeutic biotechnologies, and health systems research. [26]

In February 2019, the committee contributed funds to the Intercollegiate Mental Health Conference, the first national student-run research initiative to identify best practices and policies for college mental health. From this data, $300,000 in grant funding was established to improve the mental health of vulnerable populations.[27]

• List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, September 2017
• Suicide by cop