Ayers left behind a wife, Abigail, who at the time of his death was pregnant with her first child. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. Lgende: Administrateurs, Les Brigades du Tigre, Les retraits de la Brigade, 726791 message(s) 35337 sujet(s) 30093 membre(s) Lutilisateur enregistr le plus rcent est jocer, Quand on a un tlviseur avec TNT intgre, Quand on a un tlviseur et un adaptateur TNT, Technique et technologie de la tlvision par cble, Rglement du forum et conseils d'utilisation. He then put the car in drive and accelerated forward, nearly striking Billy Shane Harris, an agent for the Mountain Narcotics Criminal Investigation & Suppression Team. In a democratic republic, civilians are not executed in paramilitary-like raids based on guilt by association. Drug raids are often conducted based on information from informants (many of them drug users and/or low-level drug dealers), but all too often, the information is unreliable and costs innocent victims their lives. WebLast September, Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist pastor from Lavonia, Georgia, was gunned down by a North Georgia narcotics task force in the parking lot of a gas station. "Once all these facts are in public view, we feel it will be abundantly clear that there was no legal justification for the undercover drug agent to shoot and kill Jonathan Ayers in broad daylight on the streets of Toccoa, Ga.". The Rev. On the day Ayers was killed, Harrison had yet to take a series of firearms training classes required for his certification as a police officer. Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Shes the widow of Jonathan Ayers, a Northeast Georgia pastor fatally shot by then-Stephens County Deputy Billy Shane Harrison in September 2009. Jonathan Paul Ayers, a pastor at the small Shoal Creek Baptist Church, was shot outside a Toccoa convenience store by plainclothes drug agents on Sept. 1. Harris fired twice at the fleeing vehicle, grazing Ayers on the arm and striking him in the torso. On the other side are those who say Harrison and fellow deputy Chance Oxner did the best they could with the information they had when they tried to stop Ayers from driving away. And he continues to get anonymous messages, including the Christmas card depicting Hell. Thats a remarkably fast investigation given that the raid happened less than two days ago. ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A north Georgia pastor was shot to death by police when he struck an officer with his car after he was seen in a vehicle with a drug suspect, authorities told CNN. ------------------------------------------. They identified themselves as police officers, which civilian witnesses say happened. These are some of the best places to take them in Hall County, Best breakfast in Hall County? 3.1.2023 7:00 AM, Charles Oliver The officers claim Ayers reckless driving gave them reasonable cause to believe their lives were in danger and that he was trying to avoid being questioned. Franklin said Ayers touched a lot of people and that makes it hard for some to accept that he may have had a relationship with Barrett. One such victim was 22-year-old Pedro Oregon Navarro. Learn how your comment data is processed. No matter what the misconduct is, the police are always exonerated., ACLU members were critical of the way the raid was handled and asserted that a no-knock raid was totally uncalled for; Mark Silverstein, legal director for the Colorado ACLU, said, If the government officials who authorized the warrant had followed the law, Ismael Mena would be alive today.. But the kicker has to be that the subsequent police-led investigations of this high-profile case failed to turn up such a critical piece of information. The police-involved shooting And even today, police acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. But the task force also serves two other counties, and so is also overseen by the sheriffs of those counties. All rights reserved. So its hard to argue they cared much either, at least not enough to let the kids safety trump the safety of the officers, or the need to get into the home quickly to prevent any evidence from being destroyed so they can preserve their conviction. Ayers told hospital staff was that he thought he was being robbed. Posthumously, Navarro was proven innocent, and his senseless death underscored the need for the United States to seriously reform its misguided drug laws. Mike Ayers, who was in charge of the investigation for the GBI, is not related to Jonathan Ayers. "Based upon this finding, we the Grand Jury believe that the officers involved in this incident would be immune from criminal prosecution pursuant to Official Code of Georgia Annotated 16-3-24.2.". Police said they later observed a white male in a red Honda Civic give the woman money. Smith and Junnier both pled guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter; Smith also pled guilty to perjury and admitted he planted the marijuana in Johnstons house. "Concerning the actions of the officers involved in the death of Jonathan Ayers on Sept. 1, 2009, we find that the use of deadly force by Agent Billy Shane Harrison was legally justified based upon his objectively reasonable belief that such use of force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or others," a statement signed by the grand jurors read. Radley Balko is a senior editor at Reason magazine. I'm thinking of Dustin Pigeon, Andrew Thomas, Daniel Shaver and Jonathan Ayers. So maybe we should take Rickmans quick assessment of this weeks raid with a grain of salt. 3. "The unfortunate thing for me is people who claim to be forgiven by God are unwilling to forgive others," Franklin said. They also are pleading official immunity that allows police to decide where to investigate, arrest or use force, including deadly force, in carrying out their duties. Stephens County District Attorney Brian Rickman and Assistant District Attorney Rick Bridgeman presented the case. It ought to cast more doubt on the already dubious notion that police shootings should only be investigated by other police officers. The officer that was struck by the car was treated and released at a local hospital. 3.1.2023 12:30 AM, Jacob Sullum When task force members saw Ayers alone in the car with the woman, they switched their focus to him. Jesse Jackson to right-wing libertarians like Ron Paul, Walter Williams and 2012 Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnsonhave pointed out that the war on drugs has become much deadlier than the drugs themselves. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. They first said he was part of their drug investigation all along, then retracted. They also had badges around their necks.". Heres the blurry video from the Convenience store showing officers shooting at him as he drives away. He had just gotten $20 from an ATM machine and thought they wanted to rob him. Want to share a story? They followed the car as Ayers dropped the woman off at a gas station. According to the originally filed civil complaint, Harrison later claimed he shot the victim because, at the time, he thought But Abigail Ayers' civil suit (PDF) calls that assessment into question. WebFourth District Court Judge James Brady ordered a Salt Lake County man to stand trial for attempted aggravated murder Wednesday for allegedly shooting and injuring a man Mario Paz; El Monte, California, 1999. Hours before Ayers was killed, police say Johanna Barrett sold undercover officer Chance Oxner $50 worth of crack cocaine. AlthoughChavalia was acquitted of criminal charges, Wilsons family was awarded $2.5 million in 2010 in a civil lawsuit against the city of Lima. The task force followed Ayers to a convenience store, where he went in to get money from an ATM. Ayers had not been a suspect in any drug investigation. He died four hours later at the local hospital of his gunshot wound. Stephens County sheriff Randy Shirley has placed both officers involved in the incident on paid administrative leave, he said. "I don't want someone on a task force or as a law enforcement officer who shoots first and asks questions later, and unfortunately, that's what we have here," Claytor told the AJC. Not surprisingly, no drugs were found in either Ayers vehicle or on his dead body, although one of the officers claimed that before the killing, Barrett had sold him $50 worth of crack cocaine. Stroberg has been critical of how the case was presented to the grand jury. Around 6:10am on May 16, 2003, officers executed a no-knock drug raid on Spruills apartment based on bad information they had received from an informant/alleged drug dealer. A lawyer representing Ayers' widow told the Toccoa Record he was disappointed by the grand jury's decision and that a civil lawsuit would follow. But critics say that is when Harrison pulled his gun. @w_katz1 Anyway, they do indeed go on and on. Based on that finding, jurors said officers involved in the incident "would be immune from criminal prosecution" under Georgia law. These are some of the best places to take them in Hall County, Best breakfast in Hall County? Stan Turpin of Clarksville, about 15 miles from Toccoa, is another outspoken critic of the investigation. Many people from across the political spectrumfrom the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Rev. 1. Had war on drugs supporters learned a lesson from Navarros death, it is quite possible that the killings of the Rev. Garcia had been in the Army since October 2002. In the process, he nicked one agent. An undercover drug task force team had set up an operation at a local business, and had a woman under surveillance -- someone they had bought drugs from on two previous occasions, GBI spokesman John Bankhead told CNN Thursday. Watch surveillance video of Ayers' car hitting officer . Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. In the courts view, it is unconscionable to ask that she wait whatever time is required for an appeal before she can collect her judgment without any assurance that the judgment will, in fact, be collectible.. Abigail Ayers then filed a civil lawsuit in March 2010, alleging gross and plain incompetence in the use of deadly force. Barley didnt speak during the brief arraignment hearing. Some of the officers claimed that Paz appeared to be going for a gun, and they fatally shot him twice in the back in front of his wife. His reported last words were, Who shot me?, Ayers had no drugs in his car or in his system, and there was no evidence he was using or distributing anything illegal. In her September interview with the North Georgian, Barrett told the paper that Ayers had been trying to help kick her drug habit, but later, while facing charges related to both the Ayers case and another incident, she told investigators that Ayers had in previous years paid her for sex. Undercover narcotics officers who had been trailing Barrett suspected that she was selling crack cocaine, and when Ayers gave her $23, they began trailing Ayers. Franklin said if the person shot that day had been "a druggie, a thug, a person of disrepute, then it could have been a completely different response from the public. Enter your email below to start! And while Johnston was lying on the floor dying, Smith handcuffed her. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into the shooting. Toccoa is about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta. Still, many residents are unconvinced. These allegations have since been confirmed by local TV station WSBTV and, after the fact, by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. A grand jury on Friday found that an officer-involved shooting in which a Lavonia minister was killed was justified. From the moment the 28-year-old Lavonia Shoal Creek Baptist Church minister was shot, the rumors began. The officers were undercover, dressed in shabby clothes and ski-mask caps. But in the case of 57-year-old Harlem resident Alberta Spruill, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg admitted: Clearly, the police made a mistake.. The woman was later identified as someone Ayers had been ministering to, trying to convince her to get off of drugs and turn her life around. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. She was awarded the $2.3 million in lost wages over the course of the decedents lifetime. Ayers, attempting to leave the scene, was shot by Harrison. Dorothy Duckett, a 78-year-old neighbor, told the San Jose Mercury Newsthat when Cardenas was running away, he had his hands in the air and was yelling, Dont shoot.. In September 2009, the young pastor Ayers was ministering to a young woman whom a Georgia drug task force was investigating on drug charges. WebIn February, I posted about a settlement in the death of Jonathan Ayers, an innocent pastor that this same drug task force killed in a drug operation in 2009. They pulled up behind him in an unmarked black SUV. Innocent civilians have more to fear from botched drug raids and careless police work than they do from drug dealers. He could face up to 15 year in prison, if convicted. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. Authorities say they found nothing illegal in Jonathan Ayers' car after he was slain during a drug sting. Perhaps we shouldnt be all that surprised that a sheriff who sees drug suspects as terrorists also oversees a drug task force that has now killed an innocent pastor and burned a two-year-old child. Harrison was ordered to post a $2.9 million bond while his attorneys appeal this most recent judgment. Ayers' sister did not return a call from CNN Thursday. U.S. District Judge Richard Story also decreased the initial amount awarded in damages and expenses. Harrison said he initially thought his partner was seriously injured or dead and he thought the car was going to hit him, too. The wasteful use of public resources to pursue a petty drug offender and the aggressive and short-sighted apprehension of Jonathan Ayers that led to his death are bad enough. A Stephens County grand jury began hearing evidence in the case Tuesday and issued a finding Friday afternoon. Abigail Ayers' civil suit also alleges prior disciplinary problems with both officers Oxner and Harrison, including alleged drug use. One other law enforcement official was fired for lying about the training. This article was published more than8 years ago, (CORRECTION: The copy below is slightly incorrect. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The officers saw the woman in a car with Ayers and saw what they believed was a drug transaction, Bankhead said. Ayers put the car in reverse and backed up, striking an officer, Bankhead said. In September 2009, Johnathan Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist pastor from Lavonia, Ga., was gunned down by a North Georgia narcotics task force in the parking lot of a gas station. Copyright 2010 - 2023 CacheValleyDaily.com LLC, all rights reserved. "People are so ramped up and emotional," Mike Ayers of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told the AJC. Ayers lost control of his car not far away. But this same task force has a history. Narcotics officer Frank Baggett, Jr. said that when he kicked down the door to Dixons bedroom, he stumbledwhich caused his gun to go off and sent a bullet into Dixons chest. He died at the hospital. A concussion grenade was thrown into the apartment; Spruill, a city employee who was getting ready to leave for work, suffered a heart attack and died. Ayers is yet more collateral damage in the boundlessly tragic and wasteful drug war, as are his widowed wife Abigail and the child she was carrying at the time of his death. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. His wife was expecting their first child. It was a hot, late summer Georgia afternoon. Here's some tips, Column: Cherish your memories while you have them, Column: The journey to Athens used to be a five-hour railcar ride, Column: Buttering up guests with fresh biscuits, Local practice offers expert medical care, GoToHearing provides professional, caring service, Have guests in town? Parlez-en ! Local law enforcement knew sorting out the shooting would be difficult. I can't get into that, but that's what we're looking at.". Shortly after he got back into his car, a black Escalade tore into the parking lot. Claytor, whose son was a close friend of Ayers, said within hours of the shooting, law enforcement started "spinning this story" and "covering their tracks." 345 homes proposed in this area at Hall-Gwinnett County line, Man indicted in strangling death, attorney says he maintains his innocence, These Hall high schools named Honor Schools for success in AP classes, Georgia Senate seeks to allow rural hospitals without permit. Harrison and Oxner told investigators they saw a woman, Kayla Barrett, whom they planned to arrest later that day on drug charges get into Ayers' car and they saw him give her money. A jury awarded Abigail Ayers $2.3 million, but a judge reduced the amount to $1.64 million after reassessing lost wages. Your email address will not be published. In a letter to Rickman, Gwinnett County District Attorney Daniel Porter said the officers had "sufficient articulable suspicion" to question Ayers and that no criminal charges were warranted. A federal jury in Gainesville, Ga., said a reasonable officer would have realized that Ayers' Required fields are marked *. 6. WebHe was one of the agents with the Mountain Judicial Circuit N.C.I.S. Its Legacy Is Disastrous. For three days in December, a grand jury was presented with the interviews and watched the video. Oxner, who was working undercover, is briefly out of the frame while Harrison can be seen lifting his right hand to his side, which he said was to lift his shirt so his holstered weapon would be visible. Wilson, however, was in one of the bedrooms; when Chavalia fired shots into that bedroom, she was killed. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. | WebLooking for Jonathan Ayers online? Once the publicity hit, Harrison was suspended. Heres when your childs school will get one. District Attorney Brian Rickman praised the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for going to "very extraordinary lengths" to insure the investigation into the shooting was fair. An investigation revealed that after Johnstons death, a major coverup was attempted, including planting bags of marijuana in her house and trying to bully White into lying and saying that Johnston was selling crack cocaine. | Officer Billy Shane Harrison then opened fire, shooting Ayers in the stomach. Although Paz was a gun owner, he never shot at the officershe didnt live long enough. That a police officer untrained in the use of lethal force and unqualified to be holding a badge and gun was put on a narcotics task force, and then placed in a position where he was able to shoot and kill a non-suspect is worse. When the grand jury exonerated Harrison and Oxner on Dec. 15, the controversy flared anew. Jonathan Ayers, pastor at Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia, Georgia, died after the incident Tuesday afternoon in the nearby town of Toccoa, Georgia, police said. "You may escape justice in this life but you will never escape the final judgment and eternal damnation for your actions! In a democratic republic, the innocent until proven guilty concept is supposed to be sacrosanct.Jurors, police officers, judges and prosecuting attorneysat least in theoryare required to err on the side of caution, and if a guilty person occasionally goes free, so be it. In a civil suit, Johnstons family was awarded a $490,000 settlement. She also received Police said three drug agents tried to block Ayers car after he dropped off a woman known to have been involved in illegal drug transactions. OnJuly 12, 1998, Houston officers raided Navarroshome based on an alleged drug users claim that drugs were being sold there. (WVUE/Raycom) NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A man that was killed in the A similar tragedy occurred in San Jose, Calif. on February 17, 2004, when plainclothes officers were attempting to serve a warrant for a drug-related parole violation and 43-year-old Rodolfo Cardenas, a father of five, had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Worse, the man they pounced upon wasn't the target of their investigation. Rickman told the AJC that calls to his office started the day after the shooting. In September 2009, Johnathan Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist pastor from Lavonia, Ga., was gunned down by a North Georgia narcotics task force in the parking lot of a gas station. The undercover officers wanted to question Ayers about what they had just seen, he said. Armed agents dressed in street clothes then rushed Ayerss car. The grand jury also heard from Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and former Stephens County District Attorney Mike Crawford. Below are 10 innocent victims who became collateral damage and lost their lives in the war on drugs (there are many, many more). Hall school board approves $11M for giant classroom touchscreens. The 18-person grand jury was provided with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations case file on the shooting, which contained more than 1,000 pages, as well as 26 compact discs of interviews, photos and 911 recordings. The Rev. You've just returned to your car after getting cash from an ATM. But no good deed goes unpunished, and on March 25, 1994, Williams efforts to help a substance abuser led to his death. Same illogical cowardice outlawing hemp candy or shooting So did the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. WebAfter Ayers tried to drive past the descending officers, Harrison shot and killed him. Accessibility | Sheriff's Employee Embezzled Funds in Keeping with the Spirit of Civil Asset Forfeiture, The Jones Act Is Driving Up Prices and Making Crises Worse, How SCOTUS Promoted Pernicious Myths About Sex Offender Registries. He shouldn't have been killed," Turpin told the AJC. Idexx Laboratories Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Jonathan Ayers is on a medical leave of absence following a serious cycling accident that occurred Thursday. Though I know they can't all be good. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Radley Balko is a journalist at The Washington Post. A Stephens County grand jury decided that narcotics officers Billy Shane Harrison and Kyle Bryant were justified in shooting Jonathan Ayers, 28, pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia, Ga., in a botched drug arrest on Sept. 1, 2009. 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A jury awarded Abigail Ayers ' sister did not return a call from CNN Thursday Billy Shane then. Judgment and eternal damnation for your actions, you support the local of. More than8 years ago, ( CORRECTION: the copy below is slightly.!, then retracted of Ayers ' car hitting officer should only be investigated by other officers. Not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed watched the video $ 490,000 settlement and.! Force followed Ayers to a Convenience store showing officers shooting at him as he drives.!, Daniel Shaver and Jonathan Ayers told the AJC the woman in a republic. And thought they wanted to rob him put the car was going to hit him, too Press:.