Scroll To Top
Crime

A cop allegedly shot and killed his Lyft driver, claiming he was being kidnapped for a 'gay fraternity'

Atlanta Police Officer Koby Minor Shoots Kills Reginald Folks Lyft Gay Fraternity
Facebook @redd.hova; Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Koby Minor has been charged with murder and aggravated assault after allegedly shooting 35-year-old Reginald Folks to death in his car.

Support The Advocate
LGBTQ+ stories are more important than ever. Join us in fighting for our future. Support our journalism.

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."

Stonewall Brick AwardsOut / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff & Wayne Brady

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. In her free time, Ryan likes watching New York Rangers hockey, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.