Family of 'Cop City' activist who was killed by troopers files lawsuit

The parents of an environmental activist who Georgia state troopers fatally shot near the site of a planned Atlanta-area police and firefighter training center filed a lawsuit Tuesday against three law enforcement officers who they say planned and carried out a police raid that led to his death.

Manuel Paez Terán’s family says state troopers used excessive force against the 26-year-old when they fired pepper balls into the protester’s tent after Paez Terán refused to leave on the morning of Jan. 18, 2023. Authorities were conducting what officials described as a “clearing operation” against those who for months had been camping in the woods near the DeKalb County construction site to protest what critics call “Cop City.”

The killing of Paez Terán, who went by the name Tortuguita and used the “they” pronoun, was a galvanizing moment for the “Stop Cop City” movement, with activists across the world holding vigils and painting murals in honor of Tortuguita, who friends said was dedicated to helping others and protecting the environment. Authorities have portrayed Paez Terán as an out-of-state radical who wrote in their journal that police officers should be killed.