A demonstration in Atlanta protesting the police killing of an activist who opposed the development of an 82-acre forest outside the city to build a police training facility dubbed “Cop City” quickly turned violent Saturday evening, Reuters reports.
Questions remain about the shooting of 26-year-old Manuel Teran, one of dozens of protestors who have established campsites on the land designated for the facility. Some of the demonstrators have been there for months when police swept through the area Wednesday to evict the demonstrators. Police say Teran refused to vacate a tent and eventually fired a gun from inside the tent, wounding an officer. Police say they returned fire, killing Teran. As evidence, police released a photo of a handgun they say Teran had.
Demonstrators started marching through the streets of Atlanta, but soon protestors started shooting off fireworks and bottle rockets. Others broke store windows while some set an Atlanta Police car on fire.