No charges for Georgia State troopers who killed activist at Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site

A special prosecutor will not charge the six Georgia State Patrol troopers who shot and killed an environmental protestor at the proposed site for the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, who went by “Tortuguita” and used they/them pronouns, was shot and killed by six Georgia State Troopers 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 training center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics.

After months of investigating, the Stone Mountain Circuit District Attorney’s Office says the troopers’ use of lethal force was “objectively reasonable under the circumstances of the case.”

ChunkMcHorkle,
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

Why is a military training area like Cop City needed for street-level police in a democratic society?

Why is Cop City so important to those in power that killing unarmed protesters is necessary to defend it?

Speaking for myself, the answer is simple. I don’t think Cop City is intended for police in a democratic society, and never was. Hence Cop City itself, the massive funds invested in it, and the overkill used to defend it against unarmed protesters.

But that’s just me, I guess.

Nomad,

Someone who shoots back is probably not unarmed. Still somehow I still think it should be self defense if you shoot back after someone shoots pepper balls into your tent. Especially if you are 6! People an can just go in there and carry him out.

ChunkMcHorkle,
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

Someone who shoots back is probably not unarmed.

Indeed. But I do not believe Tortuguita ever shot back. He was known to be unarmed and against violence.

From personal experience as an ex-gun-owner I can tell you that you literally cannot put a gun in the hands of someone who hates them: they won’t take it and will refuse to let you hand it to them. It’s like you’re trying to hand them something radioactive. Even if they want to see it they still want you to hold it for them to look at, lol. So I don’t believe for two seconds that one of the protesters suddenly handed him a gun after many months of non-violent protest and he just as quickly decided to shoot it . I just don’t.

Rather, I believe it is far more likely the cop got hit by one of his own, “friendly fire,” and a gun was later planted on Tortuguita. Cops have done far worse with far less motive than this, so it’s not even a stretch to believe.

Nomad,

Good take. Not hard to believe at all with the current police brutality problem in the US. However there is no evidence to suggest this is the case. And its kinda hard to believe there are no wotnesses in an encampment like this.

shplane,

There was no residual gun powder found on his hands in the autopsy, which would normally be found on someone who just fired a gun - democracynow.org/…/officers_who_fatally_shot_stop…

Nomad,

Interesting point, thanks. :)

PugJesus,
@PugJesus@kbin.social avatar

After months of investigating, the Stone Mountain Circuit District Attorney’s Office says the troopers’ use of lethal force was “objectively reasonable under the circumstances of the case.”

In their report, officials say the troopers spoke with Tortuguita, who refused to leave and zipped up the tent in which they were living.

After an officer fired pepper balls at the tents, officials say that the environmental activist fired multiple shots - hitting Georgia State Patrol Trooper Jerry Parrish below his armor plate and above his belt on his right side and lodging the bullet in his spine. The troopers then returned fire, hitting and killing Tortuguita.

For once, I think the cops may be telling the truth. Getting a bullet in one's spine might be a bit much for a cover story.

SheeEttin,

Assuming that it wasn’t friendly fire they blamed on Tortuguita, anyway.

Beldarofremulak,

What’s crazy is this should be a ridiculous theory but cops in America have a long history of dishonesty and a lack of proactive self regulation until something gets out of control and becomes public. You aren’t “taking care of mine and my own” by allowing your peers to permanently tarnish the reputation of your profession. Publicly calling out the garbage does way less harm because it shows integrity and that seeds trust. Sweeping the dirt under the rug doesn’t seed trust.

snooggums,
@snooggums@kbin.social avatar

The most likely scenario is the police threatened him with violence, and they started shooting pepper balls at the tent he thought they were shooting bullets and he returned fire.

RizzRustbolt,

“How about if we surround the tent and all start firing?”

“Jerry, that’s brilliant!”

winterayars, (edited )

It was definitely friendly fire. Cops are fucking awful at containing collateral damage.

Go look at how often they shoot random bystanders, animals, whenever. Now: Who’s going to be in that line of fire more than anyone else? That’s right! Other cops.

(Edit)

Oh yeah from lower in the thread, it was friendly fire: www.npr.org/…/cop-city-atlanta-activist-autopsy

ikidd,
@ikidd@lemmy.world avatar

Narrator:

It was.

JDubbleu, (edited )

deleted_by_author

    •
    Ensign_Crab,

    Instantly and uncritically believing the word of a cop is a great way to justify murder.

    starman2112, (edited )

    Cops wouldn’t take a bullet to the spine to justify a murder. If they just want to kill someone, they’ll just kill them

    Edit: nvm, seems it was friendly fire

    Guess that’s not too surprising

    6 months to be a cop, 2 years to be a hairdresser. This country is fucked

    Ensign_Crab,

    Cops would use friendly fire to justify murder.

    AlwaysNowNeverNotMe,
    @AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social avatar

    Cops would murder to cover up their friendly fire even.

    homesweethomeMrL,

    So “killing them” is still “murder”, right? Check this out:

    www.npr.org/…/cop-city-atlanta-activist-autopsy

    That’s not “they shot them”. And then blew him up and blamed it on him.

    This is a tale as old as the slave catchers themselves. Let’s not buy it wholesale.

    circuscritic,

    Except he didn’t shoot at them, as evidenced by the lack of any GSR during the autopsy.

    Most likely scenario at this point is blue on blue i.e. another cop fired their gun, and this cop let loose on an unarmed activist who was, at time of death, had his hands up.

    GONADS125,

    No way it was a single cop executing him, with both hands and arms sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. That was a straight up firing squad execution…

    SquishyPandaDev,
    @SquishyPandaDev@yiffit.net avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    PugJesus,
    @PugJesus@kbin.social avatar

    I don't see anything about a music festival in Tortuguita's death. The only reference to a music festival is from a protest months ago.

    SquishyPandaDev,
    @SquishyPandaDev@yiffit.net avatar

    Ops miss read it. Deleted, she was in the wrong

    mycatiskai,

    The victim was on his knees with his hands up when shot multiple times. There were exit wounds on his hands and arms that would have only been there if his arms were up.

    The cops probably surrounded him then shot eachother, then to cover it up they shot someone afterwards with a gun found on the victim.

    pete_the_cat,

    Cops will stick together, but I don’t think it extends to “shooting each other multiple times and possibly paralyzing a fellow officer”.

    mycatiskai,

    You have two people to possibly blame for a friendly fire accident, a fellow officer who could get fired or maybe sent to jail, your other choice is the guy you just shot 56 times.

    Who do you blame in that instance if you are a cop?

    catfish,

    He doesn’t look the I’m carrying and will shoot some pigs if provoked part, just my assumption tho

    agent_flounder,
    @agent_flounder@lemmy.one avatar

    Those who knew him claimed he had committed to nonviolence.

    Although apparently the ballistics report claims the bullet came from a gun Terán owned.

    I’m inclined to believe the cops used excessive force since that’s what they’re regularly trained to do.

    Zaktor,

    How are you committed to nonviolence, but buy a gun and bring it to a protest? That doesn’t mean he was looking to fight or that he didn’t prefer nonviolent resistance, but it’s pretty incompatible with a commitment to nonviolence.

    agent_flounder,
    @agent_flounder@lemmy.one avatar

    A lot of unanswered questions about this situation for sure. Probably will remain that way.

    pete_the_cat,

    Thanks for that. The above excerpt made it seem like he was an unarmed activist. Dude shot at the cops, WTF did he think was going to happen?

    kandoh,

    I’ve heard on twitter from people who’ve been following this that the bullet came from another cop’s gun.

    Spedwell,

    That is one theory, based on a conversation captured on another (not-directly-involved, but on-site) office’s bodycam footage. It isn’t really conclusive, it’s on-scene hearsay from what is likely the downstream end of a game of telephone.

    The more productive avenue for discussions, in my opinion, is to consider whether firing pepper balls at non-violent individuals is perhaps negligent or reckless use of force, that escalates the situation without solving anything.

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