It has been more than two years since Mya and Quinten Cullins last saw their son Nygil.
The 22-year-old was shot and killed at a Buckhead Fogo De Chao on May 18, 2022.
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“That’s a bad day, that day will never go away…5/18 will never go away,” said Quinten.
Nygil’s parents knew he needed mental health care that day.
His mother says they arranged for him to go to a mental health facility when they called for help transporting him. However, help did not arrive until hours later, after Nygil had left the house.
“The system has failed my son,” Quinten said.
The family is now suing the city and the restaurant for what happened next.
Nygil went to the Fogo De Chao in Buckhead, where he worked. The lawsuit alleges that staff called 9-1-1 and security lied about Nygil being a threat.
“When the officer came, he put his hands up and immediately went to the ground,” Cullins said.
Police have not publicly released the body camera footage, but the family and NAACP say they were allowed to see the footage.
The family and the lawsuit say police charged Nygil without “warning or justification.”
The lawsuit alleges that Nygil allegedly tried to run away when the restaurant security guard tried to tackle him. The guard was shot during the struggle.
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The lawsuit alleges that police would then shoot Nygil even after he was “helpless, immobilized and unconscious.”
Witness videos showed the aftermath, but the family wants the body camera footage made public.
“We can’t get closure if they aren’t transparent,” Mya said.
The family says they hope this lawsuit will bring transparency, clear their son’s name and lead to change in a system they believe has failed their son.
“So there will be no closure. That is not possible until we get justice, until we get transparency, until we see policy change,” Quinten said
Atlanta police and Fogo De Chao said in separate statements that they are aware of the lawsuit but would not comment on pending litigation.
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