ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A Lyft driver who was allegedly murdered by a former police officer he gave a ride to, is being remembered as a “good soul” by those who knew him.
Reginald “Reggie” Folks, 35, was found shot and killed in a car Wednesday in Union City.
Police arrested Koby Minor, who had been with Atlanta Police six years before resigning the day of his arrest.
Folks was an emerging professional wrestler who trained at World Wrestling Alliance 4 in Atlanta. His coach, Thomas Ballester, said he was doing Lyft to raise more money for his wrestling career.
“A lot of little kids looked up to him,” Ballester said. “He was a role model.”
Ballester showed Atlanta News First a video of Folks dancing in the ring with a group of kids who came to watch him.
“I just wish I would’ve told him I was proud of him more,” he said.
Union City Police said Folks picked Minor up through Lyft to bring him home the morning of May 15. Minor had been on administrative leave with Atlanta Police since being arrested on an unrelated charge in Milton in December 2023.
According to the arrest warrants obtained by Atlanta News First, Minor believed his driver “is in a gay fraternity and was trying to recruit Minor into it and believed he was getting kidnapped by Folks.”
It goes on to say, “He heard what he thought was another voice in his ear talking to him, but did not say what the voice said.”
Minor told police he thought Folks was speaking an “unknown language” and told him he wanted to get out of the car. When Folks reached the intersection of Stonewall Tell Road and South Fulton Parkway, Minor attempted to unlock the car. When he could not, he told police he shot Folks in the head.
Friends of Folks, like fellow wrestler Christian Turner, said they could not believe this happened to him.
“The last time I saw him was Monday. He was very hyped. He was showing everyone his brand new shirt, because he had made his first professional wrestling shirt,” Turner said.
“A good soul. Life of the party,” Turner said. “He had a smile on his face every day.”
“We will just keep going, because that’s what he would want,” he said.
Ballester said they would be arranging a wrestling tournament in memory of Folks.
Lyft released a statement saying they would be assisting law enforcement with whatever they needed during the course of the investigation.
Minor is being held in the Fulton County Jail, charged with murder and aggravated assault.
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