$150M lawsuit filed related to death of 17-year-old killed by officer
By Joyce Lupiani
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COBB COUNTY, Georgia (WGCL) — A lawsuit has been filed for $150 million against Cobb County related to the “unreasonable” death of 17-year-old Vincent Truitt, who was shot by a Cobb County police officer on July 13, 2020.
According to the Law Firms of Gerald A. Griggs, Jackie Patterson and Marie O. Banjo, it’s the largest lawsuit to be filed related to a police shooting in the state of Georgia.
Truitt was reportedly in a stolen car on that date with two other teenagers. When the police attempted to stop the car, the driver refused to stop and a chase began near Six Flags Over Georgia.
Eventually, the teens drove into a dead end and Truitt and another teen jumped out of the car and began running away. Truitt then reportedly pulled a gun while running from the police officers and the officers opened fire. Truitt was shot once in the upper back and once in the lower back by Police Officer Max Karneol. He died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
The boy’s family and members of the community soon began demanding answers from the police department.
In September 2020, the family hired the local law firm of Gerald A. Griggs, LLC. in their pursuit of justice and accountability.
In November 2020, the family held a rally at the Marietta Square in an effort to put pressure on officials to release the body cam video and reveal the name of the cop who killed Truitt.
In February 2021, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced that a grand jury ruled the shooting was “authorized,” saying Truitt had a gun.
In March 2021, police video related to the shooting was finally released. The video showed Truitt getting out of the car and running away. It also showed something in his hand, but it could not be seen clearly. It also showed officers performing CPR on Truitt afterwards and captured the police officer telling a police major that Truitt pulled a gun on him.
In June 2021, the family began demanding a federal investigation, sending letters to the US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and Georgia’s Attorney General.
According to the family’s attorney, their investigation into the shooting determined that Truitt did not pose a danger to the officer who shot him or any other officer and that he was intentionally shot in the back by the police officer.
The lawsuit alleges that Karneol and other officers received deficient oversight and training in the use of force and firearms and that contributed to the shooting of Truitt.
The family’s law firm is pointing out that a federal civil jury in Austin, Texas, awarded $67M to the family of 24-year-old Landon Nobles last December. Nobles was shot and killed while running away from police on May 7, 2017. In that case, a witness reportedly told the jury that Nobles had a gun, but did not point it towards police.
Cobb County supplied the following statement:
“We are aware this lawsuit has been filed and will vigorously defend it in federal court.”
The family’s law firm is holding a press conference on Thursday.
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