Atlanta police shooting protest turns violent

A protest against a law enforcement shooting in Atlanta turned violent on Saturday night, with demonstrators setting a police car on fire and damaging property, according to the city’s mayor.

The protest stemmed from the police shooting of an activist, Manuel Teran, 26, during a raid to clear the construction site of a public safety training facility last Wednesday. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Teran shot a state trooper before being shot by law enforcement and dying at the scene.

Police arrested at least six people after the protests on Saturday, Atlanta Police Department Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum said. 

After what started as a peaceful protest, people began to throw bricks at buildings and set police vehicles on fire, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a press conference after the protests that some of the demonstrators carried explosives. He said that the city would always protect the right to peacefully protest but said they would aggressively confront violence.

“The city of Atlanta and the Atlanta Police Department will not tolerate this,” Dickens said. “We continue to protect the right to peacefully protest. We will not tolerate violence or property destruction.”

Protesters have called into question the version of events leading up to Teran’s death that police gave, calling for an independent investigation of the shooting. According to the GBI, the incident was not captured on body camera.

Schierbaum said the violence was quelled along Peachtree Street in the city, which is a stretch of hotels and restaurants. He also said no law enforcement officers were injured.