ATLANTA — A former Atlanta police officer has been sentenced to 29 years in prison in connection with the deadly shooting of a Lyft driver in 2024.

Former APD officer Koby Minor’s murder charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter before sentencing.

According to an arrest affidavit, Minor told Union City police he had just left another officer’s home and called for a rideshare driver shortly after midnight on May 15, 2024.

When Lyft driver Reginald Folks arrived, Minor got into the back seat as they began traveling along State Road 14. Minor claimed he shot Folks because he believed the driver was trying to kidnap him.

He told investigators that Folks began speaking through the car’s Bluetooth system in a language he didn’t understand, and that he thought he heard another voice in his ear. Minor said he repeatedly asked to get out, but Folks didn’t stop.

When the car stopped at a red light, Minor said he tried to unlock and open the door, but it wouldn’t open. As Folks reached toward the back seat, Minor fired approximately three shots, killing him.

Minor resigned from the Atlanta Police Department shortly after the shooting.