On Friday the prosecutor given the task of reviewing the shooting of Manuel Paez Terán issued a 30 page report which concluded that the shooting was justified and no charges will be brought against any of the officers involved.

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…

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.”

The report (download available here) contains a detailed description of the incident which involved Teran and six members of s team of troopers sent to clear out that part of the forest.

Trooper Mark Lamb was the first Trooper to locate the tent. The tent door flap was closed except that the top portion was open approximately one foot.

Trooper Salcedo joined Trooper Lamb at the tent. Both Troopers saw movement from inside the tent. Trooper Lamb identified himself as “Police” and told Teran to exit the tent. After approximately one to two minutes, it was obvious that Teran was not going to exit the tent and comply with the lawful commands.

Trooper Lamb and Trooper Salcedo again told Teran to come out of the tent. Thereafter the tent flap began to move and Teran zipped up the remaining part of the open flap of the door. Prior to Teran closing the flap, Trooper Lamb was able to see Teran.

Trooper Lamb, as well as all the other Team 2 members, were dressed in green uniforms that sported patches indicating “Police” and “State SWAT”. In addition, Team 2 members were wearing bullet proof vest.

Trooper Lamb radioed and asked that a pepper ball launcher (less lethal device) be brought to the tent. While waiting on the arrival of the pepper ball launcher, Trooper Lamb continued to tell Teran to come out of the tent.

Troopers Brylan Myers and Jerry Parrish arrived at the tent. Troopers Lamb, Myers, and Parrish were standing approximately 5 yards from the front of the tent. Trooper Lamb saw Teran partially unzip the top of the tent, look at the Troopers, and say, “No, I want you to leave”. Teran then the tent closed. Trooper Myers, equipped with a pepper ball launcher, began firing pepper balls into the
tent, after having first warned Teran that such less lethal device would be used if he did not come out of the tent.

Within seconds of the pepperball launcher being used, Teran began firing from inside the tent at the Troopers. Trooper Lamb saw a muzzle flash from inside the tent and heard bullets “cracking” past him. Trooper Lamb felt Troopers Myers and Parrish moving behind him. Trooper Lamb had no doubt that Teran was shooting at him and the other Troopers. Lamb believed that he was going to be shot and killed. A teammate pulled Lamb out of the line of fire and Trooper Lamb fell. He then took a kneeling position. Other Troopers were returning gunfire by the time he took the kneeling position.

From the kneeling position Trooper Lamb pointed his rifle at the tent but did not fire. A loud boom sounded and white smoke came from the front area of the tent. Trooper Lamb believed it to be an improvised explosive device (IED) deployed by Teran against the Troopers and Trooper Lamb began to fire his rifle. Trooper Lamb stopped firing to assess the situation. After not seeing any movement in the tent, or hearing additional gun fire or explosions, Trooper Lamb looked around and saw Trooper Parrish lying on the ground, having been shot by Teran.

To the best of my knowledge, many of these details are new. The conversation they had with Teran and his refusal to leave, as well as him setting off some kind of smoke bomb. Also, I think this is the first time the trooper who was shot has been identified by name: Jerry Parrish. The report includes separate accounts from each of the six troopers who were on the scene including trooper Parrish’s account.

Teran looked out of the tent through a partially open front flap and he (Trooper Parrish) and Teran made eye contact. Trooper Parrish could see Teran’s eyes and nose. Teran looked away from the opened flap and did not come out of the tent. Trooper Lamb told Teran that he was under arrest for criminal trespassing. Teran did not come out of the tent.

Trooper Myers then deployed the pepper ball launcher and fired multiple pepper balls into the tent.

Teran opened fire from inside the tent and Trooper Parrish was shot by Teran. Trooper Parrish felt the impact of the bullet hit his body. Trooper Parrish saw a hole in the side of the tent where the bullet passed through. The bullet hit Trooper Parrish in the body below his armor plate and above his belt on his right side.

Trooper Parrish dropped to a knee, drew his pistol, and fired back at Teran.

Trooper Parrish knew that Teran had just shot him and he fired back to protect himself and his fellow Troopers. Parrrish shot until he saw white smoke coming from the front of the tent.

Trooper Parrish started to walk away from the tent but collapsed on the ground.

One of the troopers present described the aftermath and finding the gun next to Teran’s body.

Trooper Bland, using his knife and pulling on the zippers, opened the door and saw an unresponsive male (Teran) lying on his back. The male (Teran) had multiple wounds and was bleeding from various wounds.

Trooper Bland saw a handgun near, only inches away from, Teran’s right hand. Due to his experience with firearms he recognized the gun as a Smith and Wesson Shield handgun. He also observed that the slide was forward on the pistol and the magazine was in the pistol. Trooper Bland then saw another Trooper remove the gun from inside the tent for safety and place it outside of the tent.

And as we’ve known for a while now, that gun was purchased by Teran. The bullet which hit Trooper Parrish was taken from his body and matched to the gun. Despite this, media reports continue to act as if Teran was a victim rather than a shooter. This Guardian story does its best to frame the story in a light favorable to Teran but several people they spoke to admitted they knew Teran had a gun.

The Guardian spoke with the family, close friends and other forest defenders, to develop a more detailed sense than has been previously reported about Tortuguita’s last days, and the events of 18 January and afterward. Several insisted on anonymity, as the state has recently indicted 61 people on Rico, or conspiracy charges, in connection with the movement.

What emerges is a portrait of a small number of activists outnumbered by police at 10 to one or more, with Tortuguita alone and isolated. Several confirmed that the activist had bought a gun – to help protect their LGBTQ community, they said, increasingly threatened in recent months…

Marcos had grown close to Tortuguita since they met at an event about keeping queer people and people of color safe in November, shortly after a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With a military background, Marcos spoke to Tortuguita about their gun, which the activist had gotten “for community defense”.

Teran was ordered to come out of his tent. If he had done so he would still be alive like everyone else police encountered in the forest that day. Instead, he fired his gun four times, hitting one trooper in the gut. Troopers responded by shooting him multiple times. Teran is not a martyr and it’s long past time for the media to stop treating him like one.