"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.". WebLOGAN A 29-year-old Ogden man has been arrested for allegedly shooting at a group of teenagers in Providence Canyon. Ayers was shot in the liver and later died in a hospital operating room. When the grand jury exonerated Harrison and Oxner on Dec. 15, the controversy flared anew. 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. | Yards down the street, Ayers car jumped a curb and hit a tree. 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. "How does a young man, who does so many wonderful things, have a dark side that wound up getting him killed?" WebA 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 Ayers gave her the $23 in his pocket to help cover her rent. And even today, police acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. The Department of Homeland Security Turns 20. 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. And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. The Bible says an eye for an eye, one reader wrote the Toccoa Record. Gwinnett Countys district attorney and a retired DA were asked to review the case. 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? Other members . "He was an unarmed man. 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. 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 Rickman also cleared the cops in the Ayers case. The grand jury hearing was the most one-sided miscarriage of justice that I have ever heard of. Learn how your comment data is processed. Although Paz was a gun owner, he never shot at the officershe didnt live long enough. @w_katz1 Anyway, they do indeed go on and on. | One of Harrison's two shots hit Ayers. OnJuly 12, 1998, Houston officers raided Navarroshome based on an alleged drug users claim that drugs were being sold there. 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. Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here. "The vigilantes will get their justice, hopefully, in civil court. You've just returned to your car after getting cash from an ATM. In a split second, Ayers car is seen backing up and striking Oxner, and Harrison shoots. 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. 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. The Stephens County, Georgia Sheriff's Department initially said Ayers was a drug suspect, but later had to retract. The family of Jonathan Ayers has also filed a lawsuit against the police agency that killed him. 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. 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. No illegal drugs were found in Navarros home, and blood tests conducted after his death showed no traces of any illegal drugs in his system. Up until that moment, Ayers was known to most as a man devoted to his family and faith. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. A cafeteria-style restaurant leads this list of 12 popular spots, SPONSORED: See the Great Smoky Mountains in style. The task force followed Ayers to a convenience store, where he went in to get money from an ATM. Attorney General Eric Holder recently addressed the war on drugs during a speech for the American Bar Associations annual meeting, calling for the United States to seriously reevaluate its harsh policy of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent, low-level drug offenses. WebAn 18-member grand jury in Stephens County in northeast Georgia ruled that the officer who fired two shots that fatally wounded Jonathan Ayers, pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Radley Balko is a journalist at The Washington Post. (She had allegedly sold an undercover officer $50 worth of cocaine.) He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, N.C., before reporting to the 173rd in July 2006. 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. 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. Franklin said in an interview with the AJC. These officers jumped from an SUV waving their guns commando-style over a possible $50 drug transaction. 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. The cop who killed him was fired, but only after it was revealed that he lacked the training. A grand jury on Friday found that an officer-involved shooting in which a Lavonia minister was killed was justified. 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. 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. 2023 Baptist News Global. Several people working at the hospital told GBI investigators that Ayers told them he didn't know who shot him. Despite the fact that Harrison had killed a man suspected of no crime months earlier without having undergone lethal-force training and certification, the officer was still carrying his badge and gun up until the time of the WSBTV report. According to a report of the proceedings on Rickman's website, the Stephens County district attorney, whose office overseas the drug task force, explained to grand jurors his consideration of legal and ethical obligations to remain the chief prosecuting officer in the case, including consultation with members of Ayers' family. The complaint alleges that Officer Harrison, the cop who shot Ayers, wasn't even authorized to arrest him. Last 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. Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press. Wilson, however, was in one of the bedrooms; when Chavalia fired shots into that bedroom, she was killed. Roland Stroberg, the attorney representing Ayers widow, said the family was "extremely disappointed," and that a lawsuit would be forthcoming. It was a hot, late summer Georgia afternoon. Jonathan Andrew Barley was booked Saturday night 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. "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.". 6. 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. "They approached the vehicle. Subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of the last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning. 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. When 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 fired a shot. Terms Of Use, praised the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Ayers, who obviously thought they were gang members or carjackers, tried to escape but was shot and killed. Kathryn Johnston; Atlanta, Georgia, 2006. 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. He said the official explanation of what happened "flew in the face of credulity.". They also had badges around their necks.". Rodolfo Rudy Cardenas; San Jose, California, 2004. WebThe incident happened about 5:15 a.m. in a home near 1600 West and Center Street. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 3.1.2023 4:00 AM, John Stossel No drugs were found in her house. 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. The Jonathan Ayers story was already outrageous enough. 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. Mike Ayers, who was in charge of the investigation for the GBI, is not related to Jonathan Ayers. 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. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. Thats a remarkably fast investigation given that the raid happened less than two days ago. If the story ended there, it would merely be enough to boil your blood. 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. 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. 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. Ayers had not been a suspect in any drug investigation. Your email address will not be published. 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.. Harrison was ordered to post a $2.9 million bond while his attorneys appeal this most recent judgment. But the task force also serves two other counties, and so is also overseen by the sheriffs of those counties. The two said they thought the driver of the burgundy Honda may have been her drug source. It ought to cast more doubt on the already dubious notion that police shootings should only be investigated by other police officers. 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. Copyright 2010 - 2023 CacheValleyDaily.com LLC, all rights reserved. Confusion and self-preservation is not only understandable, it ought to be predictable, even expected. Privacy Policy | 1, 2019 at 5:28 PM EDT. Officers said they were in plain clothes but wore badges around their necks and identified themselves as police. 1. Many people from across the political spectrumfrom the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Rev. Harrison said he initially thought his partner was seriously injured or dead and he thought the car was going to hit him, too. ------------------------------------------. They first said he was part of their drug investigation all along, then retracted. District Attorney Brian Rickman enlisted a special prosecutor to review the case file before turning it over to a grand jury. No drugs and nothing else illegal was found in Ayers' car, Bankhead said, "even though what occurred would make any undercover officer working drugs think that was a possibility. Heres when your childs school will get one. A lot of white faces, too. Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell, Lost Boys of Sudan: St. Johns Baptist Charlotte, Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church, Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center, Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio, Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Three big numbers that tell the story of secularization in America, West Virginians clash over religious freedom bill at hearing, White supremacists behind over 80% of extremism-related U.S. murders in 2022, Jimmy Carter Was Americas Evangelical-in-Chief. Ayers maintained a blog, in which he wrote that he had three loves in life: "Jesus Christ, my wife Abby, and the Church.". Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. The black-and-white video shows a dark Escalade pulling past some gas pumps and two men getting out. 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. 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. One of the bullets reportedly grazed one of the victims. 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. 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