Special Prosecutor Decision in January 18, 2023 Shooting Incident Near The Site Of The Future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

DeKalb County, GA (October 6, 2023) - On January 18, 2023, a joint law enforcement operation was conducted at the DeKalb County property owned by the City of Atlanta. During the operation, Georgia State Troopers encountered an individual, later identified as Manual Paez Teran, who refused to comply with the lawful commands of the Troopers to come out of a tent. The Troopers used a "less lethal" device known as a pepperball launcher in an effort to have Teran leave the tent. Teran responded by shooting four (4) times his 9 mm pistol through the tent striking and seriously injuring a Georgia State Trooper. Six Troopers returned fire resulting in the death of Teran.

The use of lethal (deadly) force by the Georgia State Patrol was objectively reasonable under the circumstances of this case. No criminal charges will be brought against the Georgia State Patrol Troopers involved in the shooting of Manual Paez Teran.

The Report has been completed and has been provided to the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Because there is a pending criminal investigation and prosecution by the State of Georgia, Attorney General's Office, including and related to the subject matter of this report, and pursuant to the Georgia Open Record Act, O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 (a)(4), request made for records in this case will be denied, until such time as the above investigation and prosecution is not pending. 

In addition, due to the above pending matters, there will be no additional information provided or comments about the Report concerning the use of lethal force by the Georgia State Patrol on January 18, 2023.

The full report from the Mountain Circuit District Attorney's Office can be found below under the related files section.