They identified themselves as police officers, which civilian witnesses say happened. Watch surveillance video of Ayers' car hitting officer . 3.1.2023 4:00 AM, John Stossel On November 21, 2006, plainclothes officers Jason R. Smith, Gregg Junnier and Arthur Tesler carried out a no-knock drug raid on Johnstons Atlanta home based on bad information from an informant/marijuana dealer named Alex White. The two outside prosecutors were asked by Rickman to review the case and talk to the grand jury about the case and the law. He was taken a local hospital, went into surgery and died an hour later. Yet somehow he had been given a position on a narcotics task force, a position that not only gave him a gun but put him in volatile, high-stakes situations where he might be tempted to use it. A jury awarded Abigail Ayers $2.3 million, but a judge reduced the amount to $1.64 million after reassessing lost wages. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Still, local law enforcement officials tried to smear him. Harrison was ordered to post a $2.9 million bond while his attorneys appeal this most recent judgment. A Stephens County grand jury had cleared the agents of criminal wrongdoing shortly after the incident. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. 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? Still, many residents are unconvinced. A 34-year-old Snellville woman has been identified as the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred at her place of employment in the Centerville area on Friday. He was charged with two counts of felony discharge of a firearm and seven counts of aggravated assault, all second and third-degree felonies. In 1999, Al Robison (president of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas), denounced the killing of Navarro as a very clear illustration of the insanity of our current drug policy. The officers who raided Navarros home violated department policy by failing to obtain a search warrant. Many people from across the political spectrumfrom the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Rev. In Denver, one such person was 45-year-old Ismael Mena, who was shot and killed by a SWAT team during a no-knock raid on September 29, 1999. Woke Wars Infiltrate Christian Colleges, Prof Under Fire for Racial Justice Unit, Tyre Nichols Police Beating Video Prompts Faith Leaders to React With Grief, Goals, The Social Gospel vs. Individualism in the Georgia Runoff, Walker, Warnock Offer Clashing Religious Messages in Georgia, Black Church Tradition Survives Georgias Voting Changes. Watch surveillance video of Ayers' car hitting officer , Authorities say Jonathan Ayers was in car with drug suspect, When police approached car, they claim Ayers struck officer with vehicle, Another officer shot Ayers; both officers placed on paid administrative leave, Nothing illegal found in Ayers' vehicle, authorities say. 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. All rights reserved. After causing Spruills death, the officers realized that they had just killed an innocent person. Ayers then pulled into a nearby gas station to withdraw money from an ATM. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. WebLooking for Jonathan Ayers online? "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. The grand jury heard testimony from several members of the Mountain Narcotics Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team and had the chance to question the witnesses, including Harrison. In many cases, politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) are so afraid of being considered soft on drugs that they are reluctant to say anything critical of narcotics officers no matter how badly they screw up. "And later he ran off the road. The war on drugs is not only fought aggressively, it is fought carelessly and haphazardly, and a long list of innocent victims have been killed or maimed in the process. "The vigilantes will get their justice, hopefully, in civil court. Shortly after he got back into his car, a black Escalade tore into the parking lot. The surveillance video was on the Internet within a day of the shooting, fueling speculation and half-accounts that were repeated online and in letters to area newspapers. 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. Jonathan Ayers, Rodolfo Rudy Cardenas, Alberta Spruill, Mario Paz, Kathryn Johnston and others could have been prevented. Abigail Marilyn Ayers was originally awarded $2.3 million in damages and expenses by a jury in February. WebJonathan 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. In the process, he nicked one agent. They followed him to a gas station where he stopped to withdraw money from an ATM machine. WebWhen they broke in, Johnston (who lived alone in a high-crime area of the city and kept a gun in her house for protection) assumed she was being the victim of a home invasion and Pedro Oregon Navarro; Houston, Texas, 1998. 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. In the end, the jury decided the shooting was justified. Tuccille The Rev. She also received And while Johnston was lying on the floor dying, Smith handcuffed her. Wilson, a single mother, had been romantically involved with a suspected drug dealer named Anthony Terry (who later pled guilty to selling drugs). 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. Judge Angela Fonnesbeck set bail for Barley at $5,000 and ordered him to appear again in court Wednesday morning. From the moment the 28-year-old Lavonia Shoal Creek Baptist Church minister was shot, the rumors began. In my post on Ayers, I noted how little professional accountability there had been for the death of Jonathan Ayers. Grand jury clears officers in minister shooting, Officials claim law enforcement fatally shot pastor after he drove car in threatening way, SPONSORED: How to start a hiking, backpacking habit in 2022. WebJonathan Ayers, 28-years-old, was a pastor at the Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Toccoa, Georgia. Ayers' last words to his family and medical staff were that he thought he was being robbed. This testimony persuaded the grand jury not to indict the officers who killed Ayers. He shot the 28-year-old Ayers in the parking lot of a Toccoa convenience store when the victim accidentally walked into an undercover drug investigation. The law cited by the grand jury states in part that a person who uses threats or force in defense of self or others is immune from criminal prosecution. Officers said they were in plain clothes but wore badges around their necks and identified themselves as police. But this same task force has a history. So did the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. A total of 30 bullets were fired, and Navarro was shot 12 times. 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. 3. Jonathan Ayers; Toccoa, Georgia, 2009. 1. According to Joe Key, an expert on police shootings, the time between the car hitting Oxner and Harrison pulling the trigger was a quarter of a second. Ayers widow, Abby Mike Franklin with The Torch, the Church of God located in Demorest, Ga., knows Harrison and Oxner and also knew Ayers. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. In the end, Ayers was innocent, and a federal jury awarded his widow a $2 million settlement. 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. 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. The pastor, understandably, attempted to escape. Holder acknowledged that too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long and for no truly good law enforcement reason, and he pointed out that according to one report, black males convicted in drug cases typically receive sentences that are 20% longer than the sentences imposed on white males for similar offenses. The GBI was called in. This would have been a grossly disproportionate way for these cops to have approached Barrett, their actual suspect, much less a guy they sought to question only about the 10 minutes he'd just spent in the car with her. The family of Jonathan Ayers has also filed a lawsuit against the police agency that killed him. He could face up to 15 year in prison, if convicted. He put his car in reverse and attempted to escape. The officers were undercover, dressed in shabby clothes and ski-mask caps. But Abigail Ayers' civil suit (PDF) calls that assessment into question. The Stephens County, Georgia Sheriff's Department initially said Ayers was a drug suspect, but later had to retract. Neither the family or Mrs. Ayers have embraced any of this, attorney Richard Hendrix said. Family members said he asked who shot him and said he had done nothing wrong. Terms Of Use, praised the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 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. Rev. | According to Ayerss lawsuit, the woman was about to be evicted from the motel at which she was staying. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. Tragically, that cost Ayers his life when, on September 1, 2009, he gave a woman named Johanna Jones Barrett $23 to help her pay her rent. ", UGA star Jalen Carter present at scene of fatal crash, Kemp administration deals blow to Buckhead cityhood push, OPINION: The latest crime in Buckhead is the City of Buckhead City, Former Atlanta fire chief says God brought slaves to America to save them, Georgia Tech hammers Syracuse as Jackets late-season surge continues, Atlantas stitch transit project wins $1.1 million federal grant, Atlanta Mayor Dickens building task force for input on training center, Derailment disaster a window on American reality of accepting risks, Timber frame office building at Ponce City Market Atlanta starts to rise, Supreme Court hearing on student loan forgiveness: What it means for Georgians. TOCCOA, Ga. (ABP) A grand jury has cleared police officers involved in a Sept. 1 shooting that killed a Southern Baptist pastor caught in the middle of a botched drug sting. (WVUE/Raycom) NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A man that was killed in the Review & Giveaway: What Do We Do When Nobody is Listening? All they care about is making money. Toccoa is about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta. Idexx Laboratories Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Jonathan Ayers is on a medical leave of absence following a serious cycling accident that occurred Thursday. Ayers was shot in the liver and later died in a hospital operating room. The decision to raid the Paz home, according to Ankeny, was made after narcotics officers found some bills and Department of Motor Vehicle records containing the familys address among the possessions of a drug suspect named Marcos Beltrn. By the time Billy Shane Harrison received the Christmas card depicting Hell, he was numb to the damnation he had endured since he pulled the trigger and killed a fleeing man on Sept. 1. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 50s Jonathan Troy Ayers Glen Burnie, MD Aliases Jonathan Troy Ayres View Full Report Addresses Woodside Ter, Glen Burnie, MD The grand jury also heard from Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and former Stephens County District Attorney Mike Crawford. So in other words, El Monte officers conducted a commando-style raid on the Paz home based on the fact that a drug suspect (who was out on bail and hadnt been convicted) had received some mail in their home during the previous decade. The woman reportedly told detectives she didn't have the amount that had been agreed upon, but she would get it later in the day. A Stephens County grand jury began hearing evidence in the case Tuesday and issued a finding Friday afternoon. "If an unmarked Escalade truck pulled up where I was and two guys dressed like drug dealers jumped out with guns drawn and approached me, I don't think I would wait around one second to find out who they were or what their motives were," one person wrote in a letter to the Toccoa Record. A man shot another family member, an adult, whom he mistakenly believed was a burglar, We hope you will! In a split second, Ayers car is seen backing up and striking Oxner, and Harrison shoots. Stan Turpin of Clarksville, about 15 miles from Toccoa, is another outspoken critic of the investigation. CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report. Both units serve Habersham County and are under the jurisdiction of Sheriff Joey Terrel and DA Brian Rickman. Ayers crashed his car, was taken to a hospital and died hours later in surgery. * Cpl. He said the official explanation of what happened "flew in the face of credulity.". 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. Copyright 2010 - 2023 CacheValleyDaily.com LLC, all rights reserved. "How does a young man, who does so many wonderful things, have a dark side that wound up getting him killed?" 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. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. Hours before Ayers was killed, police say Johanna Barrett sold undercover officer Chance Oxner $50 worth of crack cocaine. In Toccoa, Georgia Sheriff 's department initially said Ayers was innocent, and a federal jury his. Has also filed a lawsuit against the police agency that killed him of Ayers ' hitting. 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