Stephen Hasner | | May 21, 2024
In Atlanta, the city is grappling with the aftermath of a fatal shooting involving a former police officer and a Lyft driver. The ex-officer, Koby Minor, has asserted a bizarre and unfounded justification for his actions, which ended in the death of 35-year-old Reginald Folks, a driver for the rideshare company.
The incident unfolded after Folks engaged in a phone conversation in a different language, stirring paranoia in Minor who later claimed to have felt threatened. Minor’s irrational fears culminated when, despite his demands to exit the moving vehicle, Folks did not comply, leading to a violent escalation at a red light.
Failing to open the locked car door, Minor resorted to deadly force, firing multiple shots at Folks, with at least one striking him in the head. Minor then shattered the window to escape the vehicle. In an alarming admission, Minor stated he had no actual knowledge of Folks’s sexual orientation, yet based on a dubious third-party account, he convinced himself that Folks was part of a “gay fraternity” intent on abducting him.
Minor’s tenure with the Atlanta Police Department also raises concerns, as he was on unpaid leave following a previous arrest for substance possession and being under the influence during a car crash. He had joined the force in July 2018 but had been stripped of his department-issued firearm, which was not used in the fatal incident.
Source: Ice Cream Conversations