Troopers who fatally shot a 'Cop City' activist near Atlanta won't be charged, prosecutor says

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia state troopers who shot and killed an environmental activist at the site of a planned police and firefighter training center near Atlanta will not be charged, a prosecutor announced Friday, saying he found that their use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable.”

Opponents of the center, who derisively refer to it as “Cop City,” had camped out at an 85-acre (34-hectare) tract of forest that is being developed for the massive facility. It is there that Manuel Paez Terán, 26, was killed on Jan. 18.

Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian was appointed to review the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s file on the shooting. Along with the statement announcing his decision, Christian released a 31-page report detailing his analysis. He declined to release the underlying evidence, however, outraging the family.

State troopers were part of what authorities described as an “enforcement operation” at the site when they encountered Paez Terán, who was known as Tortuguita. When the activist refused to come out of a tent, the troopers fired a pepper ball launcher and Paez Terán responded by firing a handgun four times through the tent, hitting and seriously wounding a trooper, the release says. Six troopers fired back, killing Paez Terán.

-snip-

BY KATE BRUMBACK AND R.J. RICO
Updated 2:42 PM EDT, October 6, 2023


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/cop-city-atlanta-activist-shot-no-charges-421f6fe392a9202523ea154b2ddabb7d

[TeamProg]

1. The activist had a firearm and SHOT FIRST ???!!! If so, then that's one 'death by cop'

stupid shit activist.

The Cop City complex seems really, REALLY bad. Another way to stop it has to be better.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. "The activist had a firearm and SHOT FIRST ???!!!" That's what the cops say.

[cbabe]

2. 'Declining to release the evidence'. Something is not right.

https://www.npr.org › 2023 › 03 › 11 › 1162843992 › cop-city-atlanta-activist-autopsy

Autopsy reveals anti-'Cop City' activist's hands were raised when shot ...

Mar 11, 2023The 26-year-old protester, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, was killed in an Atlanta-area forest while police cleared an encampment of activists who oppose the construction of Atlanta's "Cop...

[electric_blue68]

5. That does sound off 😑

[SamKnause]

3. Murderers and liars.

[LudwigPastorius]

4. Stinks, stinks, stinks...

An independent autopsy found no gunpowder residue on him, and that his hands were raised when he was shot.

Oh, and there's the fact that conversations captured by body cams on other cops in the immediate area mentioned an officer (the one allegedly shot by Terán) had been hit with "friendly fire".

[residentcynic]

6. Sources say this isn't true

The GBI did find gunpowder residue on the protester and he did had purchased a gun. I hate that anyone got shot and, if we want to get conspiratorial, we can believe it was planted. Georgia has certainly seen its share of conspiracy theories after the 2020 election but they were from the right wingers, not the left. By and large, the local Democratic elected officials support building the training center. Crime affects the people they represent and nobody can argue the police don't need as much training as possible.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/autopsy-cop-city-protester-manuel-teran-death-gunshot-powder-residue

[LudwigPastorius]

7. Yeah, I know, "sources" being the experts hired by the cops to conduct their own test.

I gotta say, your username isn't terribly descriptive.

[Igel]

17. At worst, there are two competing corrupt sources.

The corrupt source hired by the cops.

And the person in charge of the for-profit autopsy paid for by the parents.

One is accountable to government; one is accountable to somebody private.

At worst, they're equally bad.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. System working as designed. Abolish it all. K&R.

[cayugafalls]

10. Replace it with what?

What happens in the between abolish and rebuild?

Or is anarchy the goal?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. A reallocation of resources toward policies and systems that support people and communities and

prevent crime. Abolition is something to work toward, not a switch you can flip.

[EX500rider]

13. And where has that ever worked exactly?

"supporting people & communities" does not stop people who like to kill or steal.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. The policies that decrease crime and violence are generally pretty well known; we just lack the

political will to fund them effectively.

"supporting people & communities" does not stop people who like to kill or steal.

"Liking" to kill or steal have causes that can be prevented from taking root.

[EX500rider]

15. "decrease crime & violence" is not the same as eliminate

Policing will still be needed as will prisons/courts/detectives/FBI etc

[electric_blue68]

19. Don't believe in the abolishing police force, a serious reduction might be helpful IF we had the...

will for better education in all economic (esp lower where resources are more limited) groups, safe housing, decent minimun wages plus serious mental health services, more safe houses for abused women, and children, etc. Serious reform processes in prisons which hopefully would be reduced because of the above.
The will to seriously profile potential police for proclivities towards esp violent racism, and sexism but not exclusively.

At least to me this would create a emotionlly healthier population all around thus reducing the need for a big (let alone militarized) police force. Those fewer people who then became police would interact much more respectfully with all people in general. That might in turn get police more honed tips against the hopefully way less amount of people acting criminally because many social, and emotional problems have been reduced, or eliminated.

One can always have aspirations to a better way of being.

[Igel]

18. I've often thought that.

Remove the police and all DA activity from some cities for 3 years.

Whatever happens, happens.

I'm sure that criminal activity will subside and be close to 0 by the end of year 2. It's always happened before in the absence of government.















Not.

[DJ Porkchop]

12. Viva Tortuguita

https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-family-of-manuel-tortuguita-paez-teran

[ArkansasDemocrat1]

16. Of course they found him not guilty