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. And using a SWAT team to go after a small-time drug dealer is bad police work. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He said the official explanation of what happened "flew in the face of credulity.". Hall school board approves $11M for giant classroom touchscreens. The person I blame in this whole thing is the person selling the drugs, Terrell said. We hope you will! Still, local law enforcement officials tried to smear him. The defense said Harrison has only a $1 million insurance policy through Stephens County. Ayers widow, Abby Joe Lancaster Worse, the man they pounced upon wasn't the target of their investigation. WebJonathan Ayers We found 100+ records for Jonathan Ayers in MD, WV and 32 other states. He could face up to 15 year in prison, if convicted. Harrison said he is expecting a lawsuit. WebArmed agents dressed in street clothes then rushed Ayerss car. Garcia had been in the Army since October 2002. According to the originally filed civil complaint, Harrison later claimed he shot the victim because, at the time, he thought WebThe Usos (nascidos em 22 de agosto de 1985) uma dupla de luta livre profissional formada pelo irmos gmeos Joshua Samuel Fatu e Jonathan Solofa Fatu, mais conhecidos por seus nomes de ringue Jey Uso e Jimmy Uso, respectivamente.Ambos trabalham na WWE, onde atuam na marca SmackDown e so os atuais Campees Indiscutveis de It was a hot, late summer Georgia afternoon. | 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. 8. Idexx Laboratories Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Ayers is taking a medical leave of absence following what the company said was a serious bicycling accident on June 27. "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. "And later he ran off the road. Ayers lost control of his car not far away. 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. And all three of them pled guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to violate her civil rights. Police would later acknowledge he was not using or trafficking in illicit drugs. Innocent civilians have more to fear from botched drug raids and careless police work than they do from drug dealers. Though I know they can't all be good. 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. Ayers put the car in reverse and backed up, striking an officer, Bankhead said. Barley didnt speak during the brief arraignment hearing. 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. 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. One of the people he had been helping was a woman who had a history of problems. Ayers was 29. The raid was conducted based on bad information from an informant, but a thorough search of the house turned up no evidence of drug dealingand an autopsy showed no evidence of drugs in Menas body. In my post on Ayers, I noted how little professional accountability there had been for the death of Jonathan Ayers. Jonathan Andrew Barley was booked Saturday night 3.1.2023 4:00 AM, John Stossel But critics say that is when Harrison pulled his gun. 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. Apologists for the killing claimed that Mena (a Mexican immigrant) had a gun, and LeRoy Lemos (a community activist) responded: If police hadn't gotten the wrong house, Mena would be alive. 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. The two outside prosecutors were asked by Rickman to review the case and talk to the grand jury about the case and the law. | 2023 Baptist News Global. U.S. District Judge Richard Story also decreased the initial amount awarded in damages and expenses. 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. "They will suffer the consequences.". Gwinnett Countys district attorney and a retired DA were asked to review the case. In the burned toddler raid, Terrell told the paper thatDistrict Attorney Brian Rickman had already cleared the task force of any wrongdoing. Web0:15. No drugs were found in her house. Rickman told the AJC that calls to his office started the day after the shooting. A Stephens County grand jury began hearing evidence in the case Tuesday and issued a finding Friday afternoon. Ayers, who was white, had a reputation for being the type of Christian who didnt spend all of his time on a soap box preaching about sin and salvationhe actually put his money where his mouth was, became active in his community, and did things to help people. And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. In a split second, Ayers car is seen backing up and striking Oxner, and Harrison shoots. Officers claimed Navarro had a gun and fired at them, but ballistics tests proved that all 30 shots were fired by the officers. Accessibility | 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. Mike Franklin with The Torch, the Church of God located in Demorest, Ga., knows Harrison and Oxner and also knew Ayers. These officers jumped from an SUV waving their guns commando-style over a possible $50 drug transaction. 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. 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. 5. Mario Paz; El Monte, California, 1999. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. This testimony persuaded the grand jury not to indict the officers who killed Ayers. 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. Toccoa is about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta. Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press. ------------------------------------------. ", The incident was caught on the gas station's surveillance camera. 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. "They approached the vehicle. One such victim was 22-year-old Pedro Oregon Navarro. 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. "Dear Billy Shane," was written inside the card. In the end, the jury decided the shooting was justified. 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. Defense attorney Shannon Demler said his client was trying to protect himself. In September 2009, the "How does a young man, who does so many wonderful things, have a dark side that wound up getting him killed?" Previous story (with links to earlier coverage), Widow files lawsuit in police shooting of slain Baptist pastor, Review: Second Thoughts About the Second Coming, West Virginia GOP Majority House OKs Religious Freedom Bill, 30 Years Later, Waco Siege Still Resonates Especially Among Anti-Government Extremists. The officers claim they spotted Ayers dropping off a woman they were investigating as detectives in a multi-county drug task force. But the task force also serves two other counties, and so is also overseen by the sheriffs of those counties. Claytor said the fact that Harrison shot as Ayers was clearly driving away also gnaws at many. This article originally appeared on Alternet. The black-and-white video shows a dark Escalade pulling past some gas pumps and two men getting out. 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. Ayers 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. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Ayers then pulled into a nearby gas station to withdraw money from an ATM. Mike Ayers, who was in charge of the investigation for the GBI, is not related to Jonathan Ayers. The Department of Homeland Security Turns 20. I'm thinking of Dustin Pigeon, Andrew Thomas, Daniel Shaver and Jonathan Ayers. Authorities have identified a man accused of standing on Interstate 71 northbound and shooting at vehicles Friday morning near the Gemini Place interchange. The pastor may have fled the police, the grand jury concluded, because he feared his reputation would be ruined if his relationship with Barrett were exposed. Harris fired twice at the fleeing vehicle, grazing Ayers on the arm and striking him in the torso. 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. 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." 1, 2019 at 5:28 PM EDT. 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 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. He was taken a local hospital, went into surgery and died an hour later. Jonathan Ayers was a pastor at the Shoal Creek Baptist Church. 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. * Cpl. Franklin said in an interview with the AJC. Another then opened fire, killing him. | "Tell your boss we demand justice for these murdering thugs,'" was one of the first messages left for him, Rickman said. Harrison was serving on the Mountain Judicial Circuit Narcotics Criminal Investigation and Suppression Team. 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. He shouldn't have been killed," Turpin told the AJC. Wilson, a single mother, had been romantically involved with a suspected drug dealer named Anthony Terry (who later pled guilty to selling drugs). 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