An engineering student who was also an LGBTQ activist was shot and killed by Georgia Tech campus police on Saturday night, officials said Sunday.
The school identified the victim as Scout Schultz, 21, a fourth year engineering student from Lilburn, Georgia, who police said was armed with a knife. They made contact with him outside of a campus parking garage after they received a 911 call at 11:17 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The original call reported that Schultz was also carrying a gun, officials said.
In a video taken by a witness, Schultz can be heard yelling “Shoot me!” at police, as they tell him to drop the knife.
“Nobody wants to hurt you,” an officer says in the video.
But as Schultz continued to ignore the officers commands and stepped forward with the knife, a single shot rang out and Schultz’s screams can be heard.
The young engineering student was transported to and later died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. The officer who pulled the trigger was not named and it was unclear if there would be any disciplinary actions taken.
Schultz was president of Georgia Tech’s Pride Alliance and identified as non-binary and intersex. He preferred to be referred to in they/them gender pronouns, according to the Pride Alliance‘s website.
“Their leadership allowed us to create change across campus and in the Atlanta community, the college’s Pride Alliance said in a statement after the shooting. “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.”
The Georgia Tech Progressive Student Alliance called Schultz “a constant fighter for human rights” and said they planned to place flowers and memorabilia in the West Village section of campus, but declined to comment on Schultz’s death.
Meanwhile, the school offered students their condolences and made counselors available. They also shared the number for the Georgia Crisis and Access Line, which makes social workers and counselors available 24 hours per day.
“Scout’s sudden and tragic death today has been devastating news for the Schultz family, classmates, and for members of the community who knew Scout personally, the shock and grief are particularly acute,” Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students John Stein said in a statement.