Trooper Fired Pepper Balls In Activist's Tent Before Fatal Shooting

EAST ATLANTA, GA — A state trooper fired pepper balls inside activist Manuel Paez Teran’s tent at the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center before gunfire erupted — wounding a trooper and killing the 26-year-old, incident reports obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.

On Jan. 19, Teran, 26, who used they/them pronouns, was protesting in a tent along with others in the site, also known as "Cop City."

Authorities were in the area conducting a joint task force operation and were attempting to remove people from the site.

As officers began clearing the tents and looking for protesters, a sergeant told a corporal there was a person inside a tent that refused to leave, according to corporal's report obtained through an open letter request by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.

He asked for an officer equipped with pepper balls to force the person out of the tent.

The corporal said that Teran made a statement refusing to leave in a "confident manner," which was "immediately apparent" that they had "no intentions of cooperating," the report said.

He then warned Teran that he was going to shoot chemical agents into the tent. According to the report, Terán was going to be arrested for criminal trespassing after refusing to comply.

Teran unzipped a small section of the tent but did not open the tent door completely or unzip the mosquito net on the interior of the tent, the report said. They looked briefly at each person standing in front of the tent. The corporal could not see their face fully, the report said.

The corporal discharged pepper balls as Teran began to zip up the front of the tent.

As the last volley of pepper balls flew, Teran began shooting, the report said.

The corporal said he then drew his pistol and began shooting at Teran inside the tent until it was "readily apparent" that they were not trying to shoot the officers.

A private autopsy commissioned by Teran’s family showed the activist had been shot at least 14 times in multiple areas of the body.

Body cam footage of the shooting's aftermath was released on Feb. 9

"The incident reports released today by the Georgia Department of Public Safety reveal that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) conceived of, planned, and led the operation that resulted in the death of Manuel Paez Teran," a representative for Teran's family said in a statement. "The GBI is investigating its own tragic operation. The family calls upon the GBI to explain what steps it has taken to preserve the integrity of its investigation of its own operation."

The statement continued to say that the officer narratives were drafted weeks or in some cases, months after the incidents.

Since the incident, family sued the City of Atlanta.

"The family urges the GBI to release all witness interviews taken in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and all forensic evidence it has obtained," the statement said. "These incident reports reveal that officers were fed a steady supply of hearsay and vague generalities about "domestic terrorists" before entering the forest. "

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced on Friday that Intrenchment Creek Park and its surroundings are closed until further notice due to life-threatening conditions near the park.