New details from an independent autopsy of the activist fatally shot by Atlanta police in January concludes their hands were raised up and in front of their body when they were killed. Georgia State Patrol shot Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán during a raid on an encampment of forest protectors who oppose the construction of Atlanta’s $90 million police training center dubbed “Cop City.” An independent autopsy released Monday also shows 26-year-old Tortuguita was likely seated cross-legged when they were shot 14 times. Tortuguita’s family on Friday sued the city of Atlanta after the release of more video evidence of the shooting was blocked. “There’s no reason to withhold this evidence. The public deserves to know. More importantly, the family deserves to know,” says civil rights attorney Jeff Filipovits, who is representing the family. He adds that despite law
So, I want to be clear about what the autopsy shows and what it doesn’t show, because the autopsy does not give us the conclusive answers that all of us hope that it does. The autopsy shows exit wounds on the palms of both of Manuel Terán’s hands and shows wounds to their legs that are consistent with being seated in a cross-legged position when that shot was fired. But the autopsy doesn’t answer the question about what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting. And when we’re talking about police use of force, and especially police use of deadly force, those moments can be determinative. A fraction of a second can make all of the difference in the world.
And so, while we’re trying to shed light on and bring public knowledge to everything that has happened as much as we can, ultimately, until the GBI explains to us what happened, releases their witness interviews and releases any other evidence that they have, we’re not going to be able to piece this together.
— source democracynow.org | Mar 14, 2023