A cop allegedly shot and killed his Lyft driver, claiming he was being kidnapped for a 'gay fraternity'
A Georgia police officer has been arrested for the murder of a Lyft driver, who he claimed was kidnapping him for a "gay fraternity," according to authorities.
Koby Minor has been charged with murder and aggravated assault following the Wednesday night incident, which left driver Reginald Folks, 35, brutally shot to death in his car, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by local outlet WSB-TV.
The officer had requested a Lyft ride home from a colleague's house shortly after midnight, according to the records. Minor said that he grew suspicious when Folks began talking on the phone to someone else in a foreign language, and requested to be let out. As they were traveling on a highway, State Road 14, Folks did not comply and kept driving.
Minor then attempted to open the door, which was locked due to the car's movement. When Folks began to reach into the back seat of the car, Minor shot him in the head three times. He then broke a window and exited the car, flagging down a bystander who said in her witness statement that Minor claimed Folks was “in a gay fraternity and was trying to recruit” him.
Minor surrendered to law enforcement upon their arrival, and has since resigned from his position at the Atlanta Police Department. He was already on leave following an incident in December, 2023 when he was arrested after crashing his car while possessing 20 unprescribed Xanax pills.
Marchelle Folks, Folk's mother, told local NBC affiliate WXIA that their family is "heartbroken" by the loss. She said that her son was training to become a professional wrestler, and that she is "very proud of the man he became."
"Everywhere I went, people met him and enjoyed him. He always ran into people that he knew,” she said. “He was a friendly guy, very social. Reggie was pretty much the life of the party.”
Folks trained at World Wrestling Alliance 4 in Atlanta. His coach, Thomas Ballester, told Atlanta News First that he was working as a Lyft driver to raise money for his wrestling career.
“A lot of little kids looked up to him. He was a role model,” Ballester said. “I just wish I would’ve told him I was proud of him more."
