Current:Home > NewsPolice officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City' -MoneyMatrix
Police officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City'
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:24:56
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! (45784)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Climate Funds for Poor Nations Still Unresolved After U.S.-Led Meeting
- New Orleans Finally Recovering from Post-Katrina Brain Drain
- With Biden’s Win, Climate Activists See New Potential But Say They’ll ‘Push Where We Need to Push’
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- 44 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for the Dad Who “Doesn’t Want Anything”
- Heat blamed for more than a dozen deaths in Texas, Louisiana. Here's how to stay safe.
- Solar Energy Boom Sets New Records, Shattering Expectations
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- 13-year-old becomes first girl to complete a 720 in skateboarding – a trick Tony Hawk invented
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Grimes Debuts Massive Red Leg Tattoo
- China’s Summer of Floods is a Preview of Climate Disasters to Come
- Is Climate-Related Financial Regulation Coming Under Biden? Wall Street Is Betting on It
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- U.S. formally investigating reports of botched Syria strike alleged to have killed civilian in May
- Get 5 Lipsticks for the Price 1: Clinique Black Honey, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, YSL, and More
- American Climate Video: The Creek Flooded Nearly Every Spring, but This Time the Water Just Kept Rising
Recommendation
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
An Unlikely Alliance of Farm and Environmental Groups Takes on Climate Change
Get These $118 Lululemon Flared Pants for $58, a $54 Tank Top for $19, $138 Dress for $54, and More
Elon Musk: Tesla Could Help Puerto Rico Power Up Again with Solar Microgrids
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Solar Panel Tariff Threat: 8 Questions Homeowners Are Asking
Wave of gun arrests on Capitol Hill, including for a gun in baby stroller, as tourists return
Five Mississippi deputies in alleged violent episode against 2 Black men fired or quit