Ayers Civil Trial Continues This Week in Gainesville

The civil trial of Lavonia pastor the Rev. Jonathan Ayers, who was shot to death during an undercover investigation in Toccoa five years ago, continues this week in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.

Court proceedings were cancelled last week because of the snow storm.  The trial will resume on Tuesday. 

Ayers’ widow, Abigail Ayers, claims in her lawsuit that the officer who shot her husband, Billy Shane Harrison, used false arrest, assault and battery, and excessive force in connection with the death of her husband.

She is seeking at least $5 million in damages. 

During testimony two weeks ago, Chance Oxner, one of the NCIS agents involved in the events that led to the shooting, took the stand in U.S. District Court in Gainesville. 

Oxner testified that the agents’ attention was drawn to the Rev. Ayers after he said they  saw him talk with Kayla Barrett, a woman the NCIS was investigating after Oxner said he bought drugs from her in July 2009. 

Oxner said Barrett was a known drug dealer and prostitute in Toccoa at that time. 

Oxner told the court that when agents attempted to stop the Rev. Ayers’ vehicle in the gas station on September 1, 2009, it was to question him about why he was seen giving $20 to Barrett. 

Oxner told the jury he heard Agent Harrison identify himself as police to the Rev. Ayers when he approached the pastor’s vehicle in the gas station parking lot. 

He said after that, events turned, “very chaotic.”  

After he was shot, Ayers reportedly drove away but eventually struck a power pole.  He was taken to Stephens County Hospital where he underwent surgery, but he died several hours later.  

According to court records, before his surgery, Ayers told authorities officer Harrison did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer, but drew his gun, and either waved the gun at Ayers or tapped the gun on the car window and told Ayers to get out of the car.

Thinking he was being robbed, Ayers said he attempted to drive out of the gas station, but Harrison fired two shots into Ayers’ vehicle. The second bullet, according to court records, struck Ayers in the abdomen. 

Under cross examination by Ayers attorneys two weeks ago, Oxner admitted the NCIS officers were in plain clothes when they attempted to talk to Rev. Ayers at the gas station. 

He also admitted that he was not wearing any sort of identification to indicate to Rev. Ayers that he was a police officer when he exited the drug team’s vehicle. 

Oxner also admitted on the stand that he violated police procedure by getting out of the NCIS vehicle, thereby putting himself in harm’s way when the Rev. Ayers began to attempt to pull away from the gas station.