Atlanta police officer arrested in fatal shooting of Lyft driver

A former Atlanta police officer is accused of fatally shooting a Lyft driver this week, and then allegedly told a witness he thought the driver was kidnapping him, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Union City police arrested Atlanta Police Officer Koby Minor on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Atlanta Police Department. Minor resigned from the department later that day.

Minor was charged with murder and aggravated assault after shooting his Lyft driver, according to a statement from the Union City Police Department.

The Lyft driver was identified by authorities as Reginald Folks and was pronounced dead at the scene. The affidavit says he was shot in the head.

“Our thoughts are with Mr. Folks’ loved ones as they deal with this unspeakable tragedy, and we have reached out to offer our support during this difficult time,” Lyft said in a statement shared with CNN. “We stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation and have permanently banned the rider’s account from the Lyft community.”

A passerby who saw Minor waving his hand on the side of Stonewall Tell Road in Union City called police, according to the affidavit.

Minor told the passerby that he thought he was being kidnapped by Folks, according to the affidavit.

Minor told police he got in the Lyft after leaving another officer’s home that evening. He told police that Folks was talking on the phone via his car’s Bluetooth in an unknown language and Minor said he “heard what he thought was another voice in his ear talking to him, but he didn’t hadn’t said what that voice was saying.

Minor told police he then asked Folks to stop the car, but he continued driving. When they came to a red light, Minor tried to unlock and open the door, but he was unable to open it.

He then said Folks turned around and tried to reach into the back seat, which is when Minor shot him. He fired approximately three shots, smashed the vehicle’s window and got out.

Minor is being held in the Fulton County Jail.

CNN was unable to determine whether Minor had obtained legal representation.

The Atlanta Police Department hired Minor in 2018 and was on unpaid administrative leave at the time of his arrest this week, the department’s statement said. He had previously been arrested in Milton in December 2023 and was accordingly relieved of his department-issued firearm, according to the press release, which did not specify the nature of this arrest.

CNN has contacted the Milton Police Department for more information.

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