Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian will not pursue charges against Georgia state troopers in the shooting death of an environmental activist. Christian, who was tapped to lead the investigation into the troopers’ use of deadly force earlier this year, announced his decision Friday.
The Northeast Georgia prosecutor said the use of force that resulted in the death of Manuel Paez Terán at the site called ‘Cop City’ was “objectively reasonable.”
Terán, known as Tortuguita, was among the protesters occupying the woods where a planned police and firefighter training center is set to be built near Atlanta. Law enforcement raided the site to clear the protesters.
State troopers were part of that “enforcement operation” when they encountered Terán. When the activist refused to come out of a tent, the troopers fired a pepper ball launcher. The report states that Terán responded by firing a handgun four times through the tent, hitting and seriously wounding a trooper. Six troopers fired back, killing Terán.
Christian released a 31-page report outlining his review of the matter and why he decided not to prosecute. He concluded that Terán was an “immediate threat” to the state troopers and was actively resisting arrest. Under the circumstances, Christian concluded it was “not feasible” for the troopers to issue a warning before returning fire.
The Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia appointed Christian to review the GBI’s investigation after DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston withdrew from the case over disagreements with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
