No Charges In Fatal Cobb Police Shooting Of Vincent Truitt

COBB COUNTY, GA — A grand jury ruled Thursday that there was no cause to charge a Cobb County Police Department officer with a crime in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Vincent Truitt last summer.

The case was presented to a grand jury Thursday morning, Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady said Thursday. The jury deliberated for almost eight hours, and determined that the officer was justified in his use of force.

For the first time, the Cobb police department showed media outlets and the public a series of body camera and dash-camera footage leading up to and including Truitt's shooting.

On July 13, 2020, officers from CCPD's Precinct 2 were pursuing a vehicle — a silver Nissan Altima — after it was reported stolen. Truitt was the front seat passenger in the car. In the video around the 6:55 minute mark, Cobb police officers are seen chasing the Altima into a QuikTrip gas station on Riverside Parkway, then down Riverside at the 7:20 mark. The chase eventually led into a business park on Riverside, arriving at the 8:16 mark.

Eight minutes and 32 seconds into the video, police narrating the video said the driver of the vehicle jumped out and ran, but was apprehended. At 8:41, Truitt — the front seat passenger — jumped out of the driver's side door and begins running away from police one second later. An officer can be seen chasing Truitt on foot at the 8:43 mark.

Two shots are fired at the 8:45 mark, which struck Truitt both times in the back, according to an autopsy released by the Law Firm of Gerald Griggs, 11Alive reported. Griggs represents the Truitt family. Body camera footage from the officer who shot Truitt begins at the 8:49 mark, with shots fired at 8:55.

Truitt "was given medical attention at the scene" and later taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, but died of his injuries approximately 12 hours after the shooting, CCPD Chief Tim Cox said at a Thursday evening press conference.

Investigators previously said Truitt presented a threat to the officer when he got out of the car holding a gun. A still image from the officer's body camera footage shows what police said is a gun in Truitt's right hand, shown at the 9:17 mark in the video circled in red. The gun, a Smith & Wesson pistol, is circled in red again at the 9:46 mark, landing near a chain fence after Truitt was shot. The teen can be seen on the ground at the same timestamp.

View the full statement from Cox and the released footage from the shooting below. Cox's statement starts the video and ends at the 5:30 mark. Body camera and dash-camera footage start at the 6:55 mark.

This video contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised:

The grand jury convened at 8:30 a.m. Thursday and reviewed "several hours" of materials related to the shooting, said Jason Saliba, deputy chief assistant district attorney, in a Thursday press conference. Saliba said these materials included the body camera and dash-camera footage from every officer who responded; witness testimonies; still images from multiple vantage points; and slowed-down video from the body cameras.

Not all of these materials were shared with media outlets or the public — for example, only one body camera video was made public.

“What you have seen is the video of the shooting. There's obviously more that goes on either side of that ... [the video] speaks for itself," Saliba said.

The officer who shot Truitt did not appear to give any command to drop the weapon before firing his own gun, but Broady said he was not required to based on his training.

“Just following the law ... it says that if an officer is chasing a felon who has a weapon — who can pose a danger to the others — he has the ability to fire, to use deadly force," Broady said. "In this case, the officer followed his [standard of procedure] to the letter."

In the released footage of the shooting, Cobb police included a note for viewers on the department's use of force policy.

"The Cobb County Police Department's use of force policy and training emphasize that police officers use reasonableness and de-escalation while also protecting the lives of officers and the public. Foremost, the Cobb County Police Department respects the value and special integrity of each human life, and recognizes that any loss of life is tragic for the family and the community at large," the note reads.

While Cox said officers provided medical attention to Truitt until the Cobb County Fire Department and EMS arrived, prosecutors did not show footage of what happened after Truitt was shot. In the months since, Truitt's family met with former DA Joyette Holmes in November and again with Broady in January, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported — after their attorneys and the family itself pushed for the release of body camera and dash-camera footage for months.

“As an African American, you hate to see any African American shot down,” Broady said Thursday. “But the fact is that we have to follow the law, and the law says the officer was within his rights.”

Truitt's family and their attorneys said they found out about the grand jury's decision at the same time as reporters did. They questioned why the DA did not present charges to the grand jury, but instead presented evidence and asked the jury to decide if charges should be filed.

“Cobb County, you should be ashamed," she said to reporters after the press conference Thursday. "You have another puppet who is going to make these side decisions without having any respect or regard for the family. We're tired of it. We're not going away.”

Cox read a written statement aloud before video footage was shown to media outlets at the Thursday press conference, describing the events leading up to Truitt's shooting.

"I recognize that the loss of life is tragic. I cannot imagine the pain that the Truitt family has endured during this time. I've prayed for that family every day," Cox said. "I also recognize the stress that any officer goes through when they have to use any use of force or put in any situation that they have to use force, and I've prayed for that officer and his family every day, too. Both families will struggle with the emotions and feelings related to this event for many years to come."

The officer was placed on administrative leave after the shooting while the investigation took place, but has since returned to full duty.