ATLANTA — A vigil at Georgia Tech to remember a student gunned down by campus police turned violent Monday night.
A police car was set afire as about 50 participants marched to the Georgia Tech Police Department headquarters in Atlanta. It was unclear who set the blaze.
An unidentified individual was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment Monday night.
Georgia Tech tweeted that students should “shelter in place” as the violence unfolded. Atlanta police were called in to assist Georgia Tech police.
Chad Miller, a Georgia Tech alumnus taking part in the march, said he thought tear gas had been deployed. He said he was right behind the police car when it erupted into flames.
“All I heard was metal hitting metal,” Miller said. “I’m guessing it was fireworks, there were some pretty powerful ones.
“I was marching with them until they got in front of the police station and then all hell broke loose.”
Miller said he saw one man who may have been a police officer throwing up and coughing.
Scout Schultz was shot and killed after a confrontation with Georgia Tech campus police late Saturday night. Police have said the 21-year-old engineering student had a knife and refused commands to stop.
A lawyer for the family said Schultz had a utility tool and the blade wasn’t out. They have questioned why police didn’t use nonlethal force.
Schultz was the head of the Georgia Pride Alliance, which had helped organize Monday night’s vigil. The group advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual individuals.
Several hundred people gathered peacefully on the Georgia Tech campus on the steps of the campanile at 8 p.m. Then a smaller number of participants walked to the police station, where the trouble broke out.
After the fire, most of the marchers dispersed.
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