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Written by: E. George
Published May 17, 2024 @ 8:15 PM ET
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – Union City Police arrested an Atlanta Police officer after he allegedly shot and killed his Lyft driver in the early morning of Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The suspect, Koby Minor, joined the Atlanta Police Department in July 2018 and was on unpaid administrative leave at the time of the shooting, following a previous arrest in Milton in 2023.
On Wednesday, law enforcement responded to a man shot on South Fulton Parkway by Stonewall Tell Road and discovered Minor and the victim. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 35-year-old Reginald T. Folks, who succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Police said Folks was driving Minor to his house. A woman who stopped her car when she saw Minor waving for help after the shooting told police Minor told her that the Lyft driver “is in a gay fraternity and was trying to recruit him” and that he thought he was being kidnapped.
Minor told police he called for a Lyft to leave another Atlanta police officer’s house. As he rode in the Lyft, the driver began speaking on the phone in a language Minor didn’t understand. Minor said he asked the driver to stop so he could get out of the car and attempted to get out at a red light, but the door was locked.
Minor told police that he didn’t know if the driver was gay but shot him about three times when Folks reached into the backseat. After the shooting, Minor broke a window and exited the car.
Officers arrested and transported Minor to the Fulton County Jail, where he faces charges of murder and aggravated assault.
Minor submitted his resignation, effective immediately, on Wednesday after his detainment.
Jail records revealed that Minor was arrested on December 25, 2023, and charged with the purchase/possession of a controlled substance and possession of drugs not in their original containers. After his arrest last year, he was placed on leave and relieved of his service weapon.
A Lyft spokesperson expressed in a statement, “Our hearts are with Mr. Folks’ loved ones as they confront this unspeakable tragedy, and we have reached out to offer our support during this difficult time. We stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation and have permanently banned the rider’s account from the Lyft community.”
This case is pending in court.