Student-Activist Scout Shultz Fatally Shot by Georgia Tech Campus Police

On Saturday night, Georgia Tech campus police shot and killed 21-year-old engineering student Scout Schultz. Schultz was a senior at the college and and LGBTQ activist who served as president of the college's Pride Alliance. On their website, they indicated that Shultz used they/them pronouns, identified as bisexual and nonbinary, and was intersex.

Campus police were notified of someone carrying a gun, which later turned out to be a pocketknife, and arrived at the campus parking lot at 11:17 PM. According to video of the altercation, it was at this time that they began walking toward the police and yelling "Shoot me," though police can be heard saying "nobody wants to hurt you." When Shultz moved forward, they were shot in the heart, despite photo evidence afterward showing that the knife wasn't extended when they were shot. In the aftermath of the shocking events of that night, the Pride Alliance released a statement confirming the loss of their president, stating:

"As you might have heard, last night we lost our President, Scout Schultz. We are all deeply saddened by what has occurred. They have been the driving force behind Pride Alliance for the past two years. They pushed us to do more events and a larger variety events, and we would not be the organization we are known as without their constant hard work and dedication. Their leadership allowed us to create change across campus and in the Atlanta community. Scout always reminded us to think critically about the intersection of identities and how a multitude of factors play into one's experience on Tech's campus and beyond. We love you Scout and we will continue to push for change."

Since the fatal shooting, more details have emerged. Their mother, Lynne, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they had numerous medical issues and had attempted suicide two years ago, though she didn't believe they were attempting "suicide by cop." The family's attorney, Chris Stewart, has stated that Scout was having a mental breakdown at the time of the incident. "What was Scout doing that day?" he asked. "Standing there disoriented, having a mental breakdown and was shot from 20 feet away."

It's not clear why nonlethal action wasn't taken to disable Shultz, but it is known that Georgia Tech police don't carry tasers. The family hopes a civil suit and investigation will give them answers to the questions surrounding Shultz's death.