An Atlanta police officer was arrested after allegedly shooting and killing his Lyft driver, Reginald Folks, 35, on Wednesday, May 15, as per an Atlanta Police Department press release.
Koby Minor, who had served as an officer at the Atlanta Police Department for nearly six years, resigned from his position following his arrest on charges of murder and aggravated assault. He is presently detained at Fulton County Jail, according to jail records.
Minor has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and his firearm has been confiscated by the APD and remains in their custody.
At the time of his arrest, Minor was already on unpaid administrative leave due to a previous drug-related arrest on December 25, according to both the APD press release and jail records.
The tragic incident occurred on South Fulton Parkway near Stonewall Tell Road in Union City, Ga., around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Following his apprehension by law enforcement, Minor stated that he had summoned a Lyft after departing from the residence of another Atlanta police officer. Folks subsequently picked up Minor, who alleges that Folks began conversing on the phone in a language unfamiliar to him, as per warrant documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Minor requested Folks to pull over so he could disembark, but Folks continued driving. At a red light, Minor alleges that he attempted to exit the vehicle but was unable to do so. He further claims that Folks turned around, seemingly attempting to reach towards the back seat.
According to Minor’s statement to authorities, he then seized his firearm and discharged it three times, fatally injuring the driver. Subsequently, Minor broke the car window and fled from the vehicle.
As per the warrant documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, another motorist stopped for Minor upon seeing him signaling for assistance. This witness reported that Minor informed him at that time that Folks “belonged to a homosexual fraternity and was trying to coerce Minor into joining it, leading Minor to believe he was being abducted.”
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Marchelle Folks, the mother of Reginald Folks, shared with 11 Alive that the family is deeply saddened by the entirety of the situation.
“He was my eldest, at 35,” she conveyed to 11 Alive. “I had just spoken to him on Mother’s Day, and he had a three-hour conversation with his brother.”
“I’m immensely proud of the man he became. Everywhere he went, people adored him. He always encountered acquaintances wherever he went,” she continued. “He was a sociable individual, the life of the gathering. Reggie was essentially the heartbeat of any party.”
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Folks’ family and friends as they navigate through this unimaginable tragedy. We have extended our support to them during this challenging period. We are fully prepared to cooperate with law enforcement in their investigation and have taken the step to permanently deactivate the rider’s account from the Lyft platform,” stated a spokesperson from Lyft, as reported by PEOPLE.
A Union City Police Department representative did not provide immediate feedback in response to PEOPLE’s inquiry for additional details on Thursday.
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