They pulled up behind him in an unmarked black SUV. And not too many cases were it's obvious the shooting was bad or even unnecessary. The task force followed Ayers to a convenience store, where he went in to get money from an ATM. Judge OKs $832K in legal fees in preacher shooting case, Damages awarded to widow cut to $1.6 million, SPONSORED: How to start a hiking, backpacking habit in 2022. This article was published more than8 years ago, (CORRECTION: The copy below is slightly incorrect. 3.23.2010 7:00 AM. 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. Tuccille Wilson, however, was in one of the bedrooms; when Chavalia fired shots into that bedroom, she was killed. The black-and-white video shows a dark Escalade pulling past some gas pumps and two men getting out. 3.1.2023 7:00 AM, Charles Oliver Let's say that you (which would include 99 percent of the people reading this) aren't a drug dealer, or a mobster, or some other sort of career criminal. ------------------------------------------. When they approached to question him, Ayers reportedly tried to flee and his car struck one of the officers. In 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. Though I know they can't all be good. Accessibility | Harrison fired shots, and one struck Ayers in the abdomen. You've just returned to your car after getting cash from an ATM. The police claimed they announced themselves, but it isn't difficult to see how Ayersor anyone elsemight have been confused in the commotion. One other law enforcement official was fired for lying about the training. A federal judge has awarded more than $800,000 in legal fees to the Hall County widow of a pastor fatally shot by law enforcement. But Ayers had no way of knowing he wasnt being attacked by carjackers or gang members; in fact, the officers who killed him went out of their way to look as thuggish and intimidating as possible. "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. He wasnt authorized to make arrests or to carry a gun. 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. She was awarded the $2.3 million in lost wages over the course of the decedents lifetime. But the task force also serves two other counties, and so is also overseen by the sheriffs of those counties. 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. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. | Defense attorney Shannon Demler said his client was trying to protect himself. 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. 8. 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 WebThe Springville Police Department announced Monday that Jonathan Hamilton was the man killed in Springvilles fourth fatal shooting of the past month. Many African Americans in that part of Texas, including members of the local NAACP chapter and Smith County Commissioner Andrew Mellontree, were outraged that Baggett dodged both criminal and civil charges. Officers claimed Navarro had a gun and fired at them, but ballistics tests proved that all 30 shots were fired by the officers. Rickman told the AJC that calls to his office started the day after the shooting. Ayers lost control of his car not far away. The officer that was struck by the car was treated and released at a local hospital. Officers said they were in plain clothes but wore badges around their necks and identified themselves as police. The leader of veterinary diagnostics company IDEXX is out of commission because of a serious bicycle crash. Chavalia later said he thought shots were coming from that bedroom, but the fact that he killed an unarmed woman holding a baby was inexcusable, especially in light of the fact that Wilson, according to her sister Tania Wilson, was not involved in drug sales herself. So those fair investigations that went to extraordinary lengths failed to discover that the cop who shot Ayers not only had prior disciplinary problems, but also he wasnt even legally authorized to be a cop, much less carry a gun. "The unfortunate thing for me is people who claim to be forgiven by God are unwilling to forgive others," Franklin said. The defense asked for the amount to be reduced under a specific formula; Story granted the request by decreasing it to $1.6 million, as a better estimate of the income Jonathan Ayers would have been expected to receive. Pedro Oregon Navarro; Houston, Texas, 1998. Harrison said he is expecting a lawsuit. ", The incident was caught on the gas station's surveillance camera. | It was WWII. After reviewing the GBI report and interviewing six witnesses five police officers and one expert in police use of force the grand jury ruled Harris' use of lethal force "legally justifiable based upon his objectively reasonable belief that such use of force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or others." More astonishing, Harrison apparently had no training at all in the use of lethal force. Some contend Ayers was running because he didn't want the police to expose a secret part of his life: Barrett told investigators that she and Ayers had been having an affair for years. In a civil suit, Johnstons family was awarded a $490,000 settlement. The woman who was in the car with Ayers was taken into custody and faces drug charges, Bankhead said. | "I think I would try to run over them or get away the best way I could.". Several people working at the hospital told GBI investigators that Ayers told them he didn't know who shot him. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. This testimony persuaded the grand jury not to indict the officers who killed Ayers. Drug task force that killed an innocent pastor in 2009 also involved in burned toddler story*, For Ovechkin in winter, a deadline sell-off makes sense this spring, Commanders cut Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain, clearing cap space, The NFL deserves every bit of its raging Daniel Snyder headache, burned a toddler with a flashbang grenade. WebAfter Ayers tried to drive past the descending officers, Harrison shot and killed him. "You may escape justice in this life but you will never escape the final judgment and eternal damnation for your actions! Rickman said as far as he is concerned the criminal matter is closed. More than a pit stop: South Hall diner marks 20 years of family business, Say cheers to Georgia beer Georgia Beer Day is this weekend, Lake Lanier Boat Show set to dock at Margaritaville, WATCH: The Times honors 2023 Best of Hall winners, High school basketball: Chestatee girls come up short against Griffin in Class 4A state quarterfinals, Soccer scoreboard: Cherokee Bluff girls roll past East Forsyth, High school basketball: Gainesville girls unable to keep up with Lovejoy in state quarterfinals, Baseball scoreboard: Chestatee takes down Madison County, High school tennis: North Hall sweeps Seckinger in Region 8-4A matches, Opinion: Oil companies not as profitable as you think, Opinion: Americas hypocrisy is on display in Ukraine, Opinion: Hall County Schools offers plethora of art opportunities for students, Opinion: Hall School District not forgetting arts while funding meat process plant, Column: Mama knew my sweetness needed practice, Column: Want your kids to eat their veggies? The officers saw Cardenas and assumed he was David Gonzales, the man they were looking forand when they pointed their guns at Cardenas, he fled (first in a vehicle, then on foot) but was shot in the back and killed. 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. No drugs were found in her house. The cop who killed him was fired, but only after it was revealed that he lacked the training. Until we're ready to dispense with the notion that gun-toting cops in ski masks going commando at a public gas station is an appropriate response to an alleged $50 drug transaction, we're going to see a lot more Jonathan Ayerses. "How does a young man, who does so many wonderful things, have a dark side that wound up getting him killed?" He was charged with two counts of felony discharge of a firearm and seven counts of aggravated assault, all second and third-degree felonies. Your email address will not be published. They followed the car as Ayers dropped the woman off at a gas station. Barley was arraigned virtually before a judge in 1st District Court, appearing by web conference from jail Monday afternoon. From the moment the 28-year-old Lavonia Shoal Creek Baptist Church minister was shot, the rumors began. Wanis Thonetheva, thats the person I blame in all this. Jonathan Andrew Barley was booked Saturday night 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. Same illogical cowardice outlawing hemp candy or shooting 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. Michael Walker, the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement officer who fired the fatal shot, was charged with voluntary manslaughter but was acquitted by a San Jose jury in 2005. 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. One of the bullets reportedly grazed one of the victims. In a democratic republic, civilians are not executed in paramilitary-like raids based on guilt by association. The initial civil complaint also states Harrison had not met the training requirements necessary to act as a peace officer, and was not acting in his scope of authority on the date of 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. 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. The case reads the defendant is effectively insolvent even before any judgment, and a judgment over $1 million plainly will render him insolvent., As (the) plaintiff points out, she suffered her loss nearly five years ago and has been in litigation over four years, the case reads. "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.". 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. 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. Abigail Ayers then filed a civil lawsuit in March 2010, alleging gross and plain incompetence in the use of deadly force. Another then opened fire, killing him. Rumors continue to feed the fire. 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 was shot Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? She prohibited him from possessing weapons or consuming alcohol if released from jail. When the grand jury exonerated Harrison and Oxner on Dec. 15, the controversy flared anew. Many people from across the political spectrumfrom the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Rev. 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. Rickman was unavailable for comment Friday. 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. 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.. Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press. Other members . For example, Claytor said, the first media reports said Ayers was involved in the drug trade. Shortly after he got back into his car, a black Escalade tore into the parking lot. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. Up until that moment, Ayers was known to most as a man devoted to his family and faith. In September 2009, the They are no better than a domestic terrorist, because they dont care about families they didnt care about the family, the children living in that household to be selling dope out of it, to be selling methamphetamine out of it. WebJonathan Ayers of Hart County, age 28, died Tuesday night at Stephens County Hospital after being treated for a gunshot wound received during an incident at a convenience More than a pit stop: South Hall diner marks 20 years of family business, Say cheers to Georgia beer Georgia Beer Day is this weekend, Lake Lanier Boat Show set to dock at Margaritaville, WATCH: The Times honors 2023 Best of Hall winners, High school basketball: Chestatee girls come up short against Griffin in Class 4A state quarterfinals, Soccer scoreboard: Cherokee Bluff girls roll past East Forsyth, High school basketball: Gainesville girls unable to keep up with Lovejoy in state quarterfinals, Baseball scoreboard: Chestatee takes down Madison County, High school tennis: North Hall sweeps Seckinger in Region 8-4A matches, Opinion: Oil companies not as profitable as you think, Opinion: Americas hypocrisy is on display in Ukraine, Opinion: Hall County Schools offers plethora of art opportunities for students, Opinion: Hall School District not forgetting arts while funding meat process plant, Column: Mama knew my sweetness needed practice, Column: Want your kids to eat their veggies? WebJonathan Ayers, 28-years-old, was a pastor at the Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Toccoa, Georgia. The complaint alleges that Officer Harrison, the cop who shot Ayers, wasn't even authorized to arrest him. "Tell your boss we demand justice for these murdering thugs,'" was one of the first messages left for him, Rickman said. Abigail Marilyn Ayers was originally awarded $2.3 million in damages and expenses by a jury in February. U.S. District Judge Richard Story also decreased the initial amount awarded in damages and expenses. 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. Ayers' sister did not return a call from CNN Thursday. A cafeteria-style restaurant leads this list of 12 popular spots, SPONSORED: See the Great Smoky Mountains in style. Lavonia Shoal Creek Baptist Church minister was shot, the first media reports said was... 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