Atlanta, Georgia — On May 18, 2022, Atlanta Police Officers were called to the Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse on the 3100 block of Piedmont Road after a 911 caller reported an unruly man armed with a gun. Officers arrived at the restaurant about 26 minutes later and found 22-year-old Nygil Cullins, sitting at the bar. Cullins was reportedly a former employee of the business. Officers attempted to escort him out. Cullins was not cooperative and the encounter escalated to a physical altercation.

An officer deployed his taser. However, the taser was not effective. Cullins began heading toward the door of the business when he was tackled by a security guard. At that point, Cullins produced his gun and fired one round, striking the security guard. At least one of our officers then discharged their weapon, fatally striking Cullins. The security guard was taken the the hospital in stable condition. No one else was physically injured during the incident.

A federal lawsuit filed by Cullins family, stated that Cullins suffered such pain from the Taser that he tried to leave but was tackled by a security guard. The family claims that the restaurant's security guard falsely portrayed Cullins as a physical threat, which led to the shooting. They are alleging inappropriate use of deadly force, negligence, and civil rights violations. They are suing the police officers who killed him, the city, the restaurant, the security guard, and the company the guard worked for.