Current:Home > MyPolice officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City' -InvestTomorrow
Police officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City'
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:34:58
None of the Georgia State Police troopers involved in the fatal shooting of Manuel "Tortuguita" Teran will face charges, according to Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George R. Christian.
Teran, who used they/them pronouns, was shot and killed by police on Jan. 18 as officers raided campgrounds occupied by environmental demonstrators who had allegedly been camping out for months to protest the development of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed "Cop City" by critics.
According to an autopsy of Teran sent to ABC News, they did not have gunpowder residue on their hands. Officials claimed Teran fired the first shot at a state trooper. Officers then responded with gunfire.
In Friday's announcement that no charges would be filed, Christian wrote that Teran responded to officers firing "less lethal" pepperball rounds by "shooting four (4) times his 9 mm pistol through the tent striking and seriously injuring a Georgia State Trooper. Six Troopers returned fire resulting in the death of Teran."
"The use of lethal (deadly) force by the Georgia State Patrol was objectively reasonable under the circumstances of this case," Christian wrote. "No criminal charges will be brought against the Georgia State Patrol Troopers involved in the shooting of Manuel Perez Teran."
MORE: DeKalb County releases autopsy in 'Cop City' protester Manuel Teran's death
Teran had at least 57 gunshot wounds in their body, according to the autopsy, including in the hands, torso, legs and head.
An independent autopsy from the family found that Teran’s hands were raised during the fatal shooting, however, the DeKalb County autopsy stated, "There are too many variables with respect to movement of the decedent and the shooters to draw definitive conclusions concerning Mr. Teran's body position."
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office had ruled the death a homicide.
The Georgia Attorney General's Office is conducting its own investigation into the shooting.
ABC News' Jason Volack and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.
veryGood! (56334)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Coachella 2024 Lineup Revealed: Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat and No Doubt to Headline
- Justice Department report into Uvalde school shooting expected this week
- Woman who sent threats to a Detroit-area election official in 2020 gets 30 days in jail
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Mississippi lawmakers to weigh incentives for an EV battery plant that could employ 2,000
- Ukraine needs money from the US and Europe to keep its economy running. Will the aid come?
- At 40, the Sundance Film Festival celebrates its past and looks to the future
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Woman dies after falling 100 feet in Virginia cave
Ranking
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- EIF Tokens Give Wings to AI Robotics Profit 4.0's Dreams
- Top NATO military officer urges allies and leaders to plan for the unexpected in Ukraine
- Fake White House fire report is latest high-profile swatting attempt: What to know
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Alabama execution using nitrogen gas could amount to torture and violate human rights treaties, U.N. warns
- Taylor Swift’s Cousin Teases Mastermind Behind Her and Travis Kelce's Love Story
- A rare white penguin has been discovered in Antarctica among one of the world's largest penguin species
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Google layoffs continue as tech company eliminates hundreds of jobs in ad sales team
Davos hosts UN chief, top diplomats of US, Iran as World Economic Forum meeting reaches Day Two
YouTuber and Reptile Expert Brian Barczyk Dead at 54
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Some New Hampshire residents want better answers from the 2024 candidates on the opioid crisis
JetBlue’s $3.8 billion buyout of Spirit Airlines is blocked by judge citing threat to competition
Matthew Stafford's wife Kelly says her children cried when Lions fans booed her and husband