(WVUE/Raycom) NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A man that was killed in the When he returned and got into his car they pounced. A total of 30 bullets were fired, and Navarro was shot 12 times. Abigail Ayers then filed a civil lawsuit in March 2010, alleging gross and plain incompetence in the use of deadly force. Abigail Ayers' civil suit also alleges prior disciplinary problems with both officers Oxner and Harrison, including alleged drug use. In my post on Ayers, I noted how little professional accountability there had been for the death of Jonathan Ayers. Ayers was 29. Jonathan Andrew Barley was booked Saturday night * Cpl. 3.1.2023 7:00 AM, Charles Oliver 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. Jonathan Ayers was a pastor at the Shoal Creek Baptist Church. Local citizens held several vigils calling for a complete investigation into the police shooting. A cafeteria-style restaurant leads this list of 12 popular spots, SPONSORED: See the Great Smoky Mountains in style. At an inquest, a predominantly white jury decided that the shooting was accidental and that Baggett should not be charged with anything. They identified themselves as police officers, which civilian witnesses say happened. 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. Ayers continued to drive, fleeing the parking lot for about a thousand yards before eventually crashing his car. "And later he ran off the road. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Narcotics officers who kill innocent people in the war on drugs often dont even face suspensions, let alone criminal charges. Smith, Junnier and Tesler faced a variety of charges from both the federal government and the state of Georgia. He died at the hospital. Barley didnt speak during the brief arraignment hearing. Ayers widow, Abigail, responded with a civil lawsuit seeking damages for gross and plain incompetence by both officers and their supervisors in March 2010. 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. 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. Abigail Ayerss lawsuit also alleged that Harrison and Officer Chance Oxner, who initially bought the drugs from the woman Ayers was counseling, had a history of disciplinary problems, including use of illicit drugs. According to a 1,100-page Georgia Bureau of Investigation report made public after the Dec. 15-18 grand jury probe, undercover officers were in the process of purchasing crack cocaine from a known drug user in hopes of identifying her supplier. Jonathan Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist minister from northern Georgia. 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.. On one side are those who believe the district attorney, the Stephens County sheriff, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, area law enforcement and the grand jury were corrupted because they were determined to protect one of their own. 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. 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. 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. Police later determined what they had seen was not a drug transaction, but "other circumstances were involved, and that's part of the investigation," Bankhead said. "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. Kathryn Johnston; Atlanta, Georgia, 2006. 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. 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 cafeteria-style restaurant leads this list of 12 popular spots, SPONSORED: See the Great Smoky Mountains in style. For example, Claytor said, the first media reports said Ayers was involved in the drug trade. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. They say Ayers backed his car into one agent and another fired at him as he maneuvered his car in a threatening manner. A jury awarded Abigail Ayers $2.3 million, but a judge reduced the amount to $1.64 million after reassessing lost wages. 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. From the moment the 28-year-old Lavonia Shoal Creek Baptist Church minister was shot, the rumors began. In the process, he nicked one agent. They pulled up behind him in an unmarked black SUV. The officers claim they spotted Ayers dropping off a woman they were investigating as detectives in a multi-county drug task force. According to Bankhead, Ayers then put the car into drive, and another officer fired into the car, hitting Ayers, because he thought his life was in danger. Jonathan Ayers, 28, was shot Sept. 1, 2009, in She also received 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. 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. Though I know they can't all be good. Heres the blurry video from the Convenience store showing officers shooting at him as he drives away. Shes the widow of Jonathan Ayers, a Northeast Georgia pastor fatally shot by then-Stephens County Deputy Billy Shane Harrison in September 2009. 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. 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.. So did the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. As he pulled out of the station, Ayers grazed Officer Oxner with his car. Shortly after he got back into his car, a black Escalade tore into the parking lot. Ayers' sister did not return a call from CNN Thursday. Terms Of Use, praised the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. The police claimed they announced themselves, but it isn't difficult to see how Ayersor anyone elsemight have been confused in the commotion. 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. Based on that finding, jurors said officers involved in the incident "would be immune from criminal prosecution" under Georgia law. A grand jury on Friday found that an officer-involved shooting in which a Lavonia minister was killed was justified. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. They first said he was part of their drug investigation all along, then retracted. Some say Ayers was obviously frightened by two men running to his car and he did not know they were police, though witnesses told the grand jury they heard Harrison and Oxner identify themselves. WebOne man is dead and a second person was sent to the hospital after a shooting in Treme on Tuesday, Oct. 12. "They approached the vehicle. 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. Enter your email below to start! By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. 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. The badges they had hanging from their necks, seen in this photo, were far from conspicuous. 3.1.2023 8:00 AM, J.D. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. The headline of this post has been changed to reflect the distinction.). Dixon, who was a paraplegic and was battling pneumonia, was in her bedroom when narcotics officers raided her home at 2am; an informant claimed he had bought drugs from Dixons granddaughter. 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. Subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of the last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning. According to the originally filed civil complaint, Harrison later claimed he shot the victim because, at the time, he thought Ayers had killed one of his partners in the parking lot. A Stephens County grand jury had cleared the agents of criminal wrongdoing shortly after the incident. ", 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. WebArmed agents dressed in street clothes then rushed Ayerss car. An unmarked Escalade pulls up and three men jump out in masks and guns. 8. 1, 2019 at 5:28 PM EDT. He wasnt authorized to make arrests or to carry a gun. WebShooting a commercial for emagine theater that will be played at every theater across the country before every movie they play..awesome Jump to Sections of this page Ayers' last words to his family and medical staff were that he thought he was being robbed. 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? 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. Garcia had been in the Army since October 2002. Three officers, all undercover, got out of the vehicle and pointed their guns at Ayers. Abigail Marilyn Ayers was originally awarded $2.3 million in damages and expenses by a jury in February. 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. Innocent civilians have more to fear from botched drug raids and careless police work than they do from drug dealers. Heres when your childs school will get one. Published: Jul. They were in plain clothes. 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. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Drug Team involved in the September 2009 incident at a Toccoa gas station in which the Rev. 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. Review & Giveaway: What Do We Do When Nobody is Listening? 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. Harrison said he is expecting a lawsuit. Family members said he asked who shot him and said he had done nothing wrong. Want to share a story? Harrison was ordered to post a $2.9 million bond while his attorneys appeal this most recent judgment. All rights reserved. "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.".