A Venezuelan environmental activist who was killed by police while protesting against the construction of an officer training center was shot 57 times, their autopsy showed.
Manuel Paez Teran, 26, died on January 18 during an operation to clear the protest camp set up to stop ‘Cop City’.
Activists had been trying to block the construction of the police training site since it was announced by then-mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, in 2021.
Officers said that Teran shot and wounded a trooper, and they returned fire.
But Teran’s mother Belkis told The Guardian she believed her child – who was nonbinary – was ‘assassinated in cold blood.’
On Wednesday, Axios obtained the DeKalb County medical examiner’s autopsy – which differed from an independent autopsy commissioned by the family.
Manuel Paez Teran, 26, was shot and killed at an environmental protest site near Atlanta known as ‘Cop City’ on January 18
Protestors claim police are ‘lying’ and have rejected the narrative one of their own shot at officers first – despite members being arrested on ‘domestic terrorism’ charges
Belkis Teran, the mother of Manuel, is seen on March 25 at a rally in their honor
The report found he was shot 57 time, with bullets entering Teran’s right eye, chest, stomach, arms and legs.
The independent autopsy found that Teran was seated at the time of the shooting.
But the DeKalb County report disagreed, saying efforts to confirm Teran was ‘in any particular position at a specific point in time is fraught with potential inaccuracies.’
The coroner wrote: ‘There are too many variables with respect to movement of the decedent and the shooters to draw definitive conclusions.’
And, while police claim he fired first, the medical examiner did not see gunpowder residue on the activist’s hands.
During the multi-agency operation GBI said approximately 25 campsites were located and removed from the site.
Additionally, mortar style fireworks, multiple edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks, and a blow torch were recovered.
The DeKalb report found it unlikely that the first gunshot wound was to the head, or that he was immediately incapacitated.
The police who opened fire were not wearing body cameras at the time.
Teran’s family has filed a lawsuit seeking further records and documentation about the shooting.
The state had declined to release them, saying they could not do so while an investigation was continuing.
This weekend would have marked Teran’s 27th birthday, and activists around the country are planning events in their honor.
Georgia State Patrol troopers swooped on the so-called autonomous zone at the site of a future $90million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center during a ‘clearing operation’
Tributes were laid out for the ‘tree defender’ who has now been identified as 26-year-old Teran
The protestors, who call themselves forest defenders, are claiming police have ‘murdered’ one of their own and are demanding ‘action’
They also claim the trooper who was taken to hospital with injuries was shot in ‘friendly fire’
The Atlanta Community Press Collective paid tribute to Teran, who they say went by the names ‘Cami,’ ‘Tortuguita’ or ‘Tort.’
They wrote: ‘We are devastated by the loss of our friend who was killed by the police. Tortuguita was a kind, passionate, and loving person, cherished by their community.’
‘They spent their time between Atlanta, defending the forest from destruction and coordinating mutual aid for the movement and, and Florida where they helped build housing in low-income communities hit hardest by the hurricane.
‘They were a trained medic, a loving partner, a dear friend, a brave soul, and so much more.
‘In Tort’s name, we continue to fight to protect the forest and stop cop city with love, rage, and a commitment to each other’s safety and well-being.’
