A Georgia prosecutor has declined to bring charges against state troopers who fatally shot environmental activist Manuel Esteban Terán, known as Tortuguita, during a raid on the Stop Cop City protest encampment outside Atlanta in January. On Friday, District Attorney George Christian released a 31-page report concluding that none of the six officers who fired shots that resulted in Tortuguita’s death acted unreasonably. An autopsy by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office revealed Tortuguita was struck 57 times by police bullets. Although Tortuguita possessed a 9-millimeter pistol, an autopsy also found no traces of gunpowder residue on their hands — challenging police claims that Tortuguita fired a shot that injured a Georgia state trooper. In a statement, the Stop Cop City campaign wrote, “From the start, the state’s response to Tortuguita’s murder has been to lie and cover up the facts. Today’s announcement is just the latest in a long line of changing stories and withholding evidence.”
