Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, also known as Tortuguita, was a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

and eco-anarchist. They were shot and killed by

Georgia State Patrol The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) was established in March 1937 in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is a division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. It is the primary state patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia. Al ...

Troopers during a raid of the

Stop Cop City Stop Cop City (SCC), also known as Defend the Atlanta Forest (DTF), is a decentralized movement focused on Atlanta, Georgia, in opposition to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center or "Cop City". The facility was announced in 2021 as a par ...

forest encampment in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

on January 18, 2023. The investigation surrounding their death is ongoing as of 2024. According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Paez Terán was the first environmental activist in modern U.S. history to have been shot and killed by police during a protest. Many organizations and some members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

have condemned the killing and called for an independent investigation of the events.

Background

Manuel Esteban Paez Terán was a 26-year-old

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

and eco-anarchist born in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. They were raised in

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Their family moved frequently due to their step-father's career in the

oil industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products ...

. Terán began university at Florida State University’s Republic of Panama Campus in 2016. They later moved to

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

in January 2020 to study at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. They completed their

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and graduated with

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

distinction. While living in Tallahassee, they were active in numerous community organizations. They participated in

Food Not Bombs Food Not Bombs (FNB) is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, sharing free, usually vegan and vegetarian food with others. The group believes that corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of ...

, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, and the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

. They also aided in building housing in low income communities affected by a hurricane. Paez Terán founded the Bond Community Mutual Aid group to support the historically Black Greater Bond neighborhood, and organized a winter shelter program in Railroad Village in Tallahassee. Terán maintained connections with local political figures, including County Commissioner David O'Keefe and City Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow. They were present at the successful unionization of Tallahassee's

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

location, which was the first in Florida to unionize. In 2022, they took a 20-hour course in order to be a trained medic for activists. Terán lived with Donna Cotterell, a board member of the local Indaba Theatre and Associates, for approximately one year until May 2022. Paez Terán decided to join the Atlanta forest protests after learning about the

Cop City The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, commonly known as Cop City, is a police and fire department training campus in DeKalb County near Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Much of the land included in the plans was formerly part of the Old At ...

project through a podcast. The

protests that Paez Terán was participating in were part of a broader movement related to longstanding tensions about police violence in the United States, following the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

in 2020. Stop Cop City demonstrators oppose construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which is slated to be built within a predominantly Black

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

neighborhood. Paez Terán vocally committed to

nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

and coordinated

mutual aid Mutual aid is an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community members to overcome social, economic, and political barriers to meeting common needs. This ...

for the Stop Cop City movement. They went by the nickname "Tortuguita", which is Spanish for "Little Turtle".

Fatal shooting

On the morning of January 18, 2023, Paez Terán was inside a tent at the

encampment. At around 9:00 a.m. that morning,

troopers commenced a raid, also known as a Clearing Operation, on the encampment with the intent of removing and clearing illegal encampments. According to the special prosecutor's report, the troopers commanded Tortuguita to exit their tent. When they did not comply, the troopers shot a

pepper-spray projectile A pepper-spray projectile, also called a pepper-spray ball, pepper-ball, pepper bomb, or pepper-spray pellet, is a Frangibility, frangible projectile containing a powdered chemical that irritates the eyes and nose in a manner similar to pepper sp ...

into the tent. The GBI report states that Tortuguita returned four shots from a

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American Firearms manufacturer, firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith (inventor), Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the ...

M&P Shield 9-millimeter handgun, striking a trooper. Six troopers then fired on and killed Terán. On February 9, 2023, the Atlanta police released body camera footage of the aftermath of the shooting wherein an officer is heard saying "You fucked your own officer up." This led some to believe that the injured officer had not been shot by Terán, but by

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...

from another officer. A GBI report published October 2023 claims that after the shooting ceased, a loud "boom" sounded with white smoke coming out of Terán's tent. GBI troopers believed this was an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

deployed by Terán. The report was released in conjunction with the announcement that no charges would be filed against the involved troopers. Officers say that a trooper, Jerry Parrish, suffered serious injuries and was struck multiple times – including below his

armor plate Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...

and above his belt on his right side. According to the trooper's account, one of the bullets lodged in his spine. He was transported to

Grady Hospital Grady Memorial Hospital is the public hospital for the city of Atlanta. The hospital is ranked as the tenth largest public hospital in the United States and is a Level I trauma center. History Grady Memorial Hospital was founded in 1890 and op ...

by ambulance where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet. Handgun Recovered from OIS Scene 1

Investigations

Police accounts of the incident claim that troopers encountered a tent and gave verbal orders for the person inside to exit. Police say their commands were ignored. They claim that Paez Terán fired first, without warning.

activists dispute the police description of the event. Paez Terán's family and some protesters dispute that Paez Terán fired a gun at the officers. The shooting was initially under investigation by both the GBI and Dekalb County District Attorney's Office. District Attorney

Sherry Boston Sherry Boston serves as the district attorney for DeKalb County, Georgia, which includes a portion of Atlanta, as well as several smaller metro-area cities. Boston was first elected to the position in 2016 after defeating incumbent DA Robert Ja ...

requested an independent prosecuting agency to take over the investigation to avoid the appearance of a

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...

. Her office has involvement in a task force for the Atlanta Public Training Facility. George Christian, the district attorney for northeast Georgia's Mountain Judicial Circuit, became the case's special prosecutor in April 2023. According to the GBI, forensic ballistic analysis determined that the projectile recovered from the officer's leg wound matched the handgun found in Paez Terán's possession. The details of this analysis have not been released publicly. The recovered handgun, a

M&P Shield 9mm

semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...

with serial number JFE8099, was determined to have been purchased legally by Paez Terán in September 2020. Four 9mm cartridge cases were recovered by a GBI agent inside the tent occupied by Terán. They were believed to have been fired from the recovered Smith & Wesson handgun registered to Terán. Police claim that Paez Terán refused to leave the tent, and subsequently shot and wounded an officer with that gun. Testing of gunshot primer residue (GSR) revealed the presence of particulates characteristics of gunshot primer residue on Terán. An Autopsy was performed by the

Dekalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...

Medical Examiner on January 19, 2023, and in that examination gunpowder residue was not seen on the hands. According to the GBI, there is no bodycam footage of the shooting itself. On February 9, 2023, Atlanta police released

body camera A body camera, bodycam, body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera, or wearable camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system. Body cameras have a range of uses and designs, of which the best-known use is as a police bod ...

footage of the aftermath of the shooting wherein an officer is heard saying, Two officers are later heard asking "Did they shoot their own man?" In the footage, officers were also heard saying that the gunfire "sounded like suppressed gunfire." This comment led some to believe that the officer had been injured by

rather than by Paez Terán. Results from an independent autopsy determined that Paez Téran had been shot 14 times "by different firearms" with their hands raised while sitting cross-legged on the ground, indicated by, but not limited to, the downward trajectory of fire of bullets from above and the pattern of injuries on the legs. The autopsy also says that "... none of the identified firearm wounds exhibited any evidence of close range firing" because traces of gunpowder were not found, but that "... for the purposes of this report, the range of fire for all of these wounds is considered to be 'indeterminate.'" Some newspapers have claimed that Paez Terán's hands were raised above their head, based on the independent autopsy report. The independent autopsy report states that " tsome point during the course of being shot, the

decedent Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...

was able to raise

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

hands and arms up and in front of

body, with

palms facing towards

upper body." Exit wounds were found on the palms of both hands, and Paez Terán's upper body was struck by multiple bullets. On April 19, 2023, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner released an autopsy and ruled Paez Terán's manner of death to be homicide. The autopsy found that contrary to police statements and reports, Paez Terán did not have gunshot powder on their hands. As reported by ''The Guardian'', the results of the gunshot residue test performed by the GBI may not be conclusive. The findings of the county autopsy also suggest that the police who opened fire on Paez Terán were likely to have been more than several feet away when officers' weapons were discharged. On October 6, 2023, the Stone Mountain Circuit District Attorney's Office, which was assigned as a special prosecutor for the case, announced that they will not charge the six Georgia State Patrol Officers involved in the fatal shooting of Terán - stating that the troopers' use of force was "objectively reasonable under the circumstances of the case." Only selective records have been released to the public, apart from nearby police bodycam footage. The office has said that open records requests related to the case would not be fulfilled until the Cop City occupation prosecutions finish. The prosecutions, which include dozens of people, could last multiple years. In December 2024, the family of Paez Terán filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against three police officers involved in the killing. The family disputes the official account that Terán fired gunshots first, and allege excessive force and unlawful targeting of protesters. While an independent autopsy commissioned by the family suggested Terán had their hands raised when shot at least a dozen times, the Stone Mountain Circuit District Attorney's Office declined to charge the officers involved, determining their actions were "objectively reasonable" - a conclusion challenged by the ongoing lawsuit.

Reactions to the killing

Notable vigils and protests were held in the U.S. cities of Atlanta,

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

from January 20–22, 2023. Some demonstrators spray painted graffiti on Bank of America buildings to protest the company's involvement in financing the facility's construction. Vigils were also held in the U.S. cities of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and internationally in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Lützerath Lützerath () was a hamlet in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, between Aachen and Düsseldorf. In 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the expansion of the Garzweiler surface mine; in January 2023, Lützerath was ...

Atlanta vigil and riot

On January 21, 2023, there was a vigil for Tortuguita. A group of about 40 adults and children placed candles and homemade signs by the turtle in Clark Park, Atlanta. Later in the day, protests briefly turned violent in Atlanta. Demonstrators had marched from

Underground Atlanta Underground Atlanta is a shopping center, shopping and entertainment district in the Five Points, Atlanta, Five Points neighborhood of Downtown Atlanta, downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near the Five Points (MARTA station), Five Points ...

down

Peachtree Street Peachtree Street is one of several major streets running through the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Beginning at Five Points (Atlanta), Five Points in downtown Atlanta, it runs North through Midtown Atlanta, Midtown; a few blocks afte ...

. At the intersection with Ellis Street, some demonstrators threw objects, set at least two

Atlanta Police Department The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, ...

vehicles on fire, and smashed windows of bank buildings with hammers. Six people were arrested and charged criminally for actions during the January 21 riot. Police alleged that several of the persons arrested possessed explosives. Stop Cop City issued a statement the day after the riot stating, "Destruction of material is fundamentally different from violence. All reported acts appear to be explicitly targeted against the financial backers". On January 26, 2023, Georgia governor

Brian Kemp Brian Porter Kemp (born November 2, 1963) is an American politician serving as the 83rd governor of Georgia since 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Kemp served as the state's 27th Georgia Secretary of Sta ...

declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

in response to unrest that had erupted following the killing.

Political change and impact

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

considered legislation to require state patrol officers to wear body cameras. In February, U.S. Representatives

Cori Bush Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2021 to 2025. The district includes all of the ...

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...

, and Senator

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...

called for an independent investigation into the killing. Several hundred national and international organizations have condemned the killing and called for an independent investigation. According to ''The Guardian'', Paez Terán was the first environmental activist in modern U.S. history to have been shot and killed by police during a protest. Demonstrations and vigils were held in several cities in the United States and internationally in reaction to the killing, including a riot in

on January 21, 2023.

References

External links

DeKalb County Medical Examiner's autopsy report

Georgia Bureau of Investigation (Division of Forensic Sciences) Gunshot Residue Report for Manuel Esteban Paez Terán
* Police footage from raid and subsequent events leading to the killing of Paez Terán: *
Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid (89-2.mp4)
*
Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid (39-3.mp4)
*
Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid Axon Body 3 Video (0901_X6039B6NY.mp4)
*
Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid Axon Body 3 Video (0845_X6039B6NY.mp4)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paez Terán, Manuel Esteban 2023 controversies in the United States Anti-anarchism in the United States Deaths by person in Georgia (U.S. state) Law enforcement controversies in the United States People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Georgia (U.S. state) Protest-related deaths in the United States January 2023 in the United States Land defender Cop City Violence against protesters in the United States