The Georgia Bureau of Investigation claims that gunshot residue was found on a slain activist’s hands, despite two previous autopsy reports saying otherwise.
Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, who went by the nickname “Tortuguita” and used they/them pronouns, was killed by Georgia State Troopers on Jan. 18, prompting community outrage and protests. There are still questions surrounding Terán’s killing, as there appears to be no body camera footage of the shooting.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation report, which was obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and viewed by HuffPost, claims that samples taken from Terán’s hands “revealed the presence of particles characteristic of gunshot primer residue (GSR).”
“This supports the possibility that the individual discharged a firearm, was in close proximity to a firearm upon discharge, or came into contact with an item whose surface bears GSR,” the report continued. “It should be noted that it is possible for victims of gunshot wounds, both self-inflicted and non self-inflicted, to have GSR present on their hands.”
Terán was shot at least 57 times, including in the hands, according to a DeKalb County autopsy report.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation finding contradicts two separate reports claiming that there was no GSR present on Terán.
The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy after Teran’s killing and did not find gunshot residue. Additionally, an independent autopsy conducted on Jan. 31 came to the same conclusion. The independent autopsy also found that Terán’s hands were raised when they were shot.
Georgia State Troopers are not required by law to wear body cameras, but nearby Atlanta Police Department body cameras did capture an officer suggesting that another officer had been shot by friendly fire. However, there was apparently no footage of the shooting itself.
Terán was part of a larger movement looking to stop the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City” by its critics. Many activists have rejected the idea that Terán fired at the police first.
“The constantly shifting, piece-meal narrative from the state is yet another example of their attempts to manufacture consent for a wildly unpopular project,” Hannah Riley, an organizer with the movement, wrote to HuffPost. “While the police seek to muddy the waters of public opinion and public understanding, here is what remains crystal clear: on January 18, a forest defender, who was living among the trees they hoped to protect, was gunned down by a phalanx of police officers.”
“They were sitting peacefully in their tent when officers fired rounds of pepperballs at them. Their body was riddled with bullet wounds,” Riley added. “The bloodshed in the forest that day should have immediately halted the construction of Cop City.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Terán’s family attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.