An Atlanta police officer, recently fired after a shooting, claims he believed his Lyft driver intended to kidnap him.
The Atlanta Police Department confirms he was already suspended due to an unrelated incident.
Details from a Union City police report shed light on the investigation into the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Reginald Folks.
Shortly before 1 am, officers responded to reports of a shooting on South Fulton Parkway near Stonewall Tell Road.
Upon arrival, the first officer found Koby Minor lying face down on the ground, spread out in a surrender pose, behind a vehicle on the westbound lanes of the S.R. 14 Alternate.
A Union City Police Captain had him at gunpoint, and the arriving officer was instructed to detain Minor.
As the sergeant handcuffed Minor, he reportedly admitted to shooting the person in the car and discarding the gun near the roadside. The vehicle was a grey Nissan Rogue with a broken driver’s side window. The report also mentions that Reginald Folks was found inside the car with gunshot wounds.
Minor also informed the sergeant that he was coming from an Atlanta Police Department officer’s house. He explained that he had summoned a driver to take him home and saw a vehicle arrive. After confirming it was his ride when the driver, Folks, said his name, Minor got into the car. As the vehicle headed east on S.R. 14 Alternate, Minor noted that the driver began conversing in an unknown language through the car’s Bluetooth radio.
According to Minor, while Folks was on the phone, he believed he heard another voice speaking to him (though he didn’t elaborate on what was said). Fearing for his safety, Minor claims he requested Folks pull over so he could exit the vehicle.
However, Folks allegedly continued driving. Finally, at a red light on the S.R. 14 Alternate and Stone Wall Tell Road intersection, Minor stated he tried to unlock the door and escape, but it wouldn’t open. He then alleges Folks turned around and reached towards the back seat, prompting him to shoot.
Minor’s account in the report states that when the driver reached towards the back seat, he couldn’t see the driver’s other hand. Fearing the worst, Minor claims he grabbed his gun and fired roughly three shots. He then describes somehow breaking the window and escaping the car.
The tragic incident resulted in Reginald Folks being declared deceased at the scene.
Regarding the former officer, Koby Minor, records show he joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2018. He was already suspended without pay at the time of the shooting, following an arrest in Milton last December.
According to warrants, that arrest stemmed from alleged possession of controlled substances, Xanax pills specifically.
The arrest occurred after a single-vehicle accident while Minor was driving, with suspicion of impairment at the time.
The Atlanta Police Department confirms that Minor’s service weapon was confiscated during his suspension last year and has remained in their possession.
Authorities are actively investigating the shooting.
