(AP) – Latif Blessing scored in the 89th minute to help the Houston Dynamo to 2-2 tie with Atlanta United on Saturday night.

Coco Carrasquilla chipped an entry — while Amine Bassi occupied a defender — to Blessing at the left corner of the 6-yard box for the finish to cap the scoring.

Griffin Dorsey played a volley, off a corner kick by Héctor Herrera, that ricocheted off the crossbar to Franco Escobar at the right corner of the 6-yard box for a header that gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Escobar, a 29-year-old defender who spent his first four MLS seasons with Atlanta, has a career-high tying two goals this season and seven in his seven-plus year career.

Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan played a long pass and Daniel Ríos won the ball in the attacking third and back-heeled a pass to Luke Brennan on the right side of the area. Brennan slipped an low entry pass behind a defender to Thiago Almada, whose shot from point-blank range was parried by Clark but Ríos was there for the putback into an empty net to make it 1-1 in the 25th minute.

Xande Silva, from just inside the left end line, blasted a shot that slipped under the crossbar and inside the back post to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute.

Guzan stopped seven shots for Atlanta.

Steve Clark had three saves for Houston (6-6-5).

Atlanta (4-8-5) has just one win (a 3-1 defeat of Inter Miami on May 29) since a 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire on March 31.

The Dynamo outshot Atlanta 19-11, 9-5 on target.

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The Atlanta Dream were defeated 91-84 by the Indiana Fever for their second consecutive loss on Thursday night. The game was held at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in front of a large crowd. For the Dream, it was another slow start for the team as they were again outscored in the first half 44-59.

“We got to start the game better. At the end of the day we can’t dig ourselves a hole like that, because it takes to much energy to try and come back. Especially with a team that shoot the 3 the way they shoot. They got up early, and we got to do a better job of starting those games,” said head coach Tanisha Wright.

“Defensively, we didn’t do a great job in the first half taking away their options when they got hot. [Kelsey] Mitchell got hot and obviously [Aliyah] Boston got hot, and we need to do a better job of that. But I think the second half we got a little bit back to ourselves, which is playing Atlanta basketball like we have the last two years.”

The Fever started strong, quickly establishing a lead in the first quarter. Led by the dynamic duo of Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Boston, known for her aggressive approach in the paint and mid-range accuracy, scored a game-high 27 points along with 13 rebounds. Mitchell, the team’s floor general, orchestrated the offense with precision, contributing 24 points.

Despite the early deficit, the Dream responded with resilience. Rhyne Howard, continued her strong shooting as she tied her career high with six 3-pointers. She finished the game with 26 points. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, added 18 points and six rebounds to help keep the Dream within striking distance with her clutch shooting. It was Parker-Tyus 100th career game in a Dream uniform. She was a big part in why the Dream outscored the Fever 30-17.

The second half saw both teams exchanging baskets in a back-and-forth battle. Atlanta managed to narrow the gap to just 11 points in the third quarter, thanks to 14-6 run making the score 62-73. However, Indiana defense tightened up in the final minutes, forcing crucial turnovers and securing key rebounds.

The Dream will look to regroup and address their defensive lapses as they prepare for their next matchup against the Sparks on Sunday afternoon.

ATLANTA – The family and friends of Nygil Cullins gathered outside the Buckhead restaurant where he was killed by Atlanta police in 2022. The demonstration comes days after the Atlanta Police Department released the 911 calls and surveillance video from the incident. 

Protesters, including Cullins’ family, friends, and supporters, gathered outside the Fogo de Chão restaurant on Friday, briefly blocking traffic on Piedmont Road. Chanting “Justice for Nygil Cullins,” they demanded accountability for his death. 

The body cam footage shows Cullins raising his hands when first confronted by the police. According to his family, police unnecessarily escalated the situation by using a Taser on Cullins after he went to the ground. The footage was released two years after the incident. 

During a virtual press conference earlier in the day, Fox 5 asked APD Chief Darin Schierbaum if the officers acted according to their training and protocols. Schierbaum responded, “This is a very chaotic situation with an erratic individual with a handgun in a restaurant. We have reviewed it beginning to end and we see that everything was, in fact, appropriate from our vantage point.” 

APD presented a slowed-down version of the video, which appears to show Cullins reaching for his gun before being tased. The video also shows that after Cullins shot a security guard who had tackled him, officers shot Cullins again when he appeared to reach for his gun a second time. 

However, Cullins’ mother, Mya Cullins, believes the police escalated the situation and created the danger. She stated, “It’s discouraging, it’s sickening, and something needs to happen,” noting that her son was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time. 

Cullins’ attorney James Howard agreed, saying, “the problem is [police] can create the danger…they can either deescalate the situation…or they can escalate the situation, make the person cornered, make the person scared.”

The family alleges that the body cam footage was released only because they are suing the city in federal court. Chief Schierbaum denied this, saying, “This was not related to the lawsuit being filed.” 

When asked then why APD waited two years to release the video, Schierbaum said, “Very recently, we entered into an agreement with the two coal investigative entities, which is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, as well as the district attorney’s office for a 60 day review. Moving forward, that agreement obviously was not in play in 2022.”

Despite the justification given by APD, the family remains unconvinced and plans to continue their protests, seeking further accountability for the shooting. 

“We’re not going anywhere,” Mya Cullins said.

Fogo de Chão deadly shooting video released 

In the video, Cullins can be seen at the bar of Fogo De Chao in Buckhead on May 18, 2022, where he used to work. At one point, Cullins grabs a bottle of liquor from the bar. 

“We have a guy in here with a gun, and he’s acting very, very weird,” a 911 caller said. 

“He did not point the gun, but he’s yelling at everybody,” the caller added in a second call. 

Twenty-six minutes after the initial 911 call, officers responded. APD edited the video with a red circle emphasizing Cullins with the gun. The video shows officers using Tasers on Cullins. He runs, and grabs what police say is that gun. When a security guard tackles him, police say Cullins shot and wounded the guard. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE RELEASE OF THE VIDEO, 911 CALL

“You see him tackled, you see the gun discharge, you don’t see who discharged it,” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs said. 

Police then opened fire. Ten gunshots can be heard and then a pause before five more are fired. 

PREVIOUS STORY: Parents of man shot, killed by Atlanta police at Buckhead restaurant demand justice

“All they had to do was go over and talk to him. They just came in there and forcibly tried to get him,” Quinten said. 

“It’s disgusting that they would sit and paint a picture that’s still not true. A lot of the things in their initial narrative does not equate to what we saw,” Nygil’s mother, Mya Cullins, added. 

Nygil Cullins wrongful death lawsuit 

Last month, Cullins’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, restaurant, and others for Nygil’s death. 

Nygil’s mother said he was suffering from mental health issues, and she had a facility for him to get help, but the transport they arraigned that night showed up too late. 

“How did we get to the point where Nygil is being tackled by security, how did we get to the point where he’s being tazed when he didn’t do anything wrong and now, he’s scared, and he believes he’s running for his life,” Cullins family Attorney Leif Howard explained. 

PREVIOUS STORY: Family of man killed by Atlanta police at Buckhead restaurant file lawsuit

The Fulton County District Attorney’s office will be the one to determine if charges will be filed. Atlanta police confirm the officers involved in this incident are still active employees with the Atlanta Police Department.