Current:Home > StocksPolice officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City' -Visionary Wealth Guides
Police officers won't face charges in fatal shooting of protester at 'Cop City'
View
Date:2025-04-14 18:12:02
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! (11812)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Powerful earthquakes leave at least four dead, destroy buildings along Japan’s western coast
- Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to sedition and collusion charges
- Missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen strikes merchant vessel in Red Sea, Pentagon says
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- NOAA detects largest solar flare since 2017: What are they and what threats do they pose?
- Dog reunited with family after life with coyotes, fat cat's adoption: Top animal stories of 2023
- More Americans think foreign policy should be a top US priority for 2024, an AP-NORC poll finds
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Easter, MLK Day, Thanksgiving and other key dates to know for 2024 calendar
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Jeremy Renner reflects on New Year's Day near-fatal accident, recovery: 'I feel blessed'
- A war travelogue: Two Florida photographers recount harrowing trip to document the Ukraine war
- Hack, rizz, slay and other cringe-worthy words to avoid in 2024
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- What to put in oatmeal to build the healthiest bowl: Here's a step-by-step guide
- A prisoner set a fire inside an Atlanta jail but no one was injured, officials say
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s New Year’s Eve Kiss Will Make Your Head Spin ’Round
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Plane catches fire on runway at Japan’s Haneda airport
2024 Winter Classic winners and losers: Joey Daccord makes history, Vegas slide continues
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Speaks Out in First Videos Since Prison Release
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Remembering those lost on OceanGate's Titan submersible
Mysterious blast shakes Beirut’s southern suburbs as tensions rise along the border with Israel
Ethiopia and a breakaway Somali region sign a deal giving Ethiopia access to the sea, leaders say