Atlanta Police Officer Koby Minor shot and killed a Lyft driver, believing the driver was a member of the “gay fraternity” trying to kidnap him.
Koby Minor, who joined the Atlanta Police Department in July 2018, resigned from his position on May 15, as confirmed in a statement by the department. His resignation came hours after his arrest.
According to jail records, he was taken to Fulton County Jail and charged with murder and aggravated assault. An incident report obtained by the Atlanta Constitution showed that the shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. on May 15 in Union City. The victim was identified as 35-year-old Reginald Folks.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local TV news WSB-TV, Minor told authorities after his arrest that he called a Lyft after leaving another Atlanta police officer’s home. While driver Folks was driving east on South Fulton Avenue, Minor said he began speaking in another language.
Minor said he felt like he heard another voice but wasn’t sure what was said. He then requested to get out of the car but was refused by Folks. When the car stopped at a traffic light, Minor attempted to exit but was unsuccessful. As Folks turned around and reached for the back seat, Minor fired three shots at him before breaking the car window and fleeing.
An eyewitness at the scene told police, according to WSB-TV’s report, that Minor told her the driver “was a member of the gay brotherhood and was trying to recruit him, and he believed he was being kidnapped.”
Atlanta police stated that at the time of the shooting, Minor was on unpaid administrative leave due to an arrest in December in Milton, a northern suburb of the metro area. After being placed on unpaid administrative leave, Minor’s department-issued firearm was confiscated. Police said that since then, the gun has been kept by the Atlanta Police Department.
Administrative records from the Atlanta Police Department also reveal that Minor had been formally disciplined multiple times during his tenure, including twice for citizen complaints and once for behavioral issues.