Georgia activist killed by troopers shot first, officers say

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia authorities say state troopers in January fatally shot an environmental protester who had fired at authorities after a trooper shot pepper balls into the protester’s tent. That’s according to incident reports obtained Friday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The records offer the most complete account yet of authorities’ version of the Jan. 18 killing of Manuel Paez Terán, who went by the name Tortuguita. The newly obtained incident reports say Paez Terán briefly spoke to officers while inside a tent and refused to leave, prompting authorities to fire pepper balls. Authorities say Paez Terán then fired multiple shots, and six officers returned fire, shooting the activist more than a dozen times.