Apparently, there are more domestic terrorist supporters voting in Atlanta than law and order types
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“I may be dumb, but I can count."
“I hope that what this instills to the protestors on the ground, that this will get a full, fair, and impartial independent look.”
After last week’s shootout in Atlanta between law enforcement clearing the land for a new public safety training facility and domestic terrorists left a protester dead and a Georgia State Trooper injured, the district attorney with jurisdiction over the case has recused herself.
Boston said that recusing herself was “the right thing to do.” It’s the first case from which the prosecutor has recused herself since she took office in 2017.
“I take the review, and determination of an officer-involved shooting very seriously,” Boston told local news media. She also said that she informed the state that “we’re recusing ourselves from the prosecution of the January 18th officer-involved shooting of 26-year-old Manuel Teran.”
It’s an unprecedented move, and there’s no legal requirement that she run from this case, but she does hold an elected position, and these days ….
Even local defense attorneys are baffled by her motives.
“I’m not sure what the motivation for this was, but it doesn’t seem like the appropriate reason to recuse yourself,” attorney Manny Arora told WSB-TV. “The problem is if you’re saying I’m recusing myself to help out with the community, how would you prosecute any DeKalb police officer who is accused of any type of misconduct.”
“In this case, it seems it is rare because it seems there is no conflict that would provide a justification for a recusal,” attorney Devin Rafus told Fox 5.
Citing the dozens of other cases involving the domestic terrorists in DeKalb County, Rafus added, “If you recuse solely for this officer-involved shooting, does that mean she’ll have to recuse for any officer-involved shooting that happens in DeKalb County from here on out?”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation responded with a statement of its own: “In the past decade, the GBI has investigated numerous OIS cases for local and state law enforcement. Our track record of impartiality precedes this January 18 incident. The GBI and Georgia State Patrol are two separate agencies.”
While she said she believes recusal is the right thing to do, Criminal Defense Attorney Devin Rafus told FOX 5 it was a pretty unprecedented move in a case with no clear conflict of interest.
"In this case, it seems it is rare because it seems there is no conflict that would provide a justification for a recusal," Rafus explained.
He said with the nearly two dozen cases against other protestors still moving forward in DeKalb County, the decision raises even more questions.
"If you recuse solely for this officer involved shooting, does that mean she’ll have to recuse for any officer involved shooting that happens in DeKalb County from here on out?"
Last week, police killed Tortuguita, a climate justice protester in Atlanta who was defending a forest set to be destroyed for Cop City, a police training center.
I am calling for an independent investigation into their death. There must be accountability. https://t.co/0b5wC6xtvV
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) January 23, 2023
I echo Rep. Bush's call for an independent investigation. We demand justice for Tortuguita. I stand with the forest protectors righteously fighting Cop City. https://t.co/0zBMGazkpN
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) January 25, 2023