Parents Of Georgia Tech Student Shot By Police File Lawsuit

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Schultz's father spoke on the lawsuit at a press conference Thursday. / AP

The family of a Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed by a campus police officer has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The suit also names the university and the Georgia Board of Regents. 

GPB's Sophia Saliby reports on a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed by police in 2017.

The suit claims officer Tyler Beck was improperly trained and used excessive force when he fatally wounded Scout Schultz in 2017.

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Investigators have said officers responded after Schultz called 911 to report an armed suspicious person matching their own description.

Police said at the time of the shooting that Schultz had a knife and refused to drop it after repeated commands.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a multi-purpose tool that included a knife was found at the scene, and three suicide notes were discovered in Schultz's dorm room.

The lawsuit says Schultz's actions "were consistent with a person who is experiencing a mental health crisis and were actions which a reasonably trained law enforcement officer would recognize as such."

Beck had been an officer for about 16 months at the time of the shooting, and training records do not indicate that he had training in crisis intervention techniques.

Less than one-third of Georgia Tech's police officers had undergone the 40-hour course, according to records released by the school at that time.

Beck was placed on paid leave after the incident. 

A university spokesperson said he returned to active duty in April 2018 and is currently a member of the administrative team.

Speaking on 11Alive, Scout's Father, William Schultz, said he wishes Beck had resigned.

"No parent likes to lose a kid, and Tyler Beck killed my kid," he said.

William Schultz has previously said Scout Schultz had gone through counseling after attempting suicide two years before the shooting, but there was no indication anything was wrong when he dropped Scout off at school the month before the shooting. 

According to Schultz's lawyers, Georgia Tech made changes after the shooting, including expanding the LGBTQIA Resource Center, pouring more money into mental health wellness on campus, changing policy and training for officers and equipping every officer with a stun gun.

The GBI investigated the shooting and turned over its files to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard to determine whether any prosecution is warranted. 

A spokesperson for Howard said Thursday that his office's investigation is ongoing.