( Spanish) — The second autopsy on Manuel Esteban Páez Terán, of Maracaibo, Venezuela, revealed that the victim was on the ground with his back straight and his hands up when he died at the hands of Georgia State Police on January 18, according to a statement released this Friday by the family’s lawyers.
Páez Terán, from Maracaibo, Venezuela, who was called “Tortuguita”, was 26 years old and was part of a group of environmentalists who have been protesting for several weeks against the construction of the so-called Cop City, a police training mega-center that will occupy an area wooded south Atlanta. Some of those protests have ended in riots, with people arrested and property damaged.
According to the Spears and Filipovitz law firm, the second autopsy also reveals that Páez Terán’s hands had bullet exit wounds on both palms.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) reported on January 20 that during the camp evacuation operation, Páez Terán had a gun in his hand when a state police officer was shot. The recovered projectile, according to the GBI, matches the pistol that Terán was brandishing and that he had bought. in september 2020.
Manuel Esteban Paez Teran
The first autopsy carried out on Páez Terán revealed that he received 13 bullet wounds from different weapons.
The family assures that, despite their requests, they have not received the results of that first autopsy and that they do not have any additional information about the death of Manuel Esteban.
The authorities have not wanted to meet with the family either, according to their legal representatives.
In a statement published this Friday on its page and on Twitter, the GBI assured that it is aware of the journalistic versions that refer to the agent involved in the shooting on January 18. “The GBI did not carry out the autopsy of Páez Terán, as has been said. The autopsy was performed by the DeKalb Coroner’s Office,” the press release stated.
The GBI added that it will continue to work to preserve the integrity of the investigation and that it will deliver its results to the designated prosecutor.
Other police departments consulted by , such as the Georgia State Police and the Atlanta Police, have declined to comment or say they have not received the information from Páez Terán’s lawyers.
Belkin Páez Terán together with his son Pedro in a demonstration against the creation of Cop City in Atlanta this Thursday. Courtesy: Páez Terán Family
The mother of “Tortuguita”, the Venezuelan Belkis Terán, spoke with on Thursday and described Manuel as a person committed to nature.
“This whole situation for us is very sad, because it does not fit with that story that they have told. Manuel was a calm, peaceful person, he was afraid of him like all human beings.
Páez Terán’s family does not believe he had a weapon. His younger brother, Pedro, denies it. “No, that’s false. He was without weapons, without anything ”.
The family of Páez Terán told that on Sunday they will spread the ashes of Manuel Esteban in a public act, in the same forest where he died at the hands of the Police.
