DeKalb DA recuses herself from filing charges in shooting case at ‘Cop City’

DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston says at a press conference Jan. 25 she is recusing her office from filing charges in the shooting case of Manuel Teran at the proposed site of Atlanta's Public Safety Training Facility. (Chamian Cruz/WABE)

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office is recusing itself from the decision on whether to file charges in the officer-involved shooting at the planned site of Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Facility.

Authorities allege that during a raid on Jan. 18 at the site nicknamed “Cop City,” 26-year-old activist Manuel Teran — who went by the name “Tortuguita,” Spanish for “little turtle” — shot and injured a state trooper, and officers fired back, killing Teran. The site is located in DeKalb County, just south of Atlanta.

On Wednesday, DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said she’s asked the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia to appoint someone else to consider potential charges. It’s the first time she’s made such a decision since taking office in 2017, but she says it’s intended to remove at least one conflict of interest from the case.