$2.3 million awarded in death of former Ga. pastor

ATLANTA (AP) - More than $2 million has been awarded to the family of a northeast Georgia pastor who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy.

Former minister at Shoal Creek Baptist Church, Jonathan Ayers, was shot when he accidentally walked into an undercover drug investigation in the parking lot of a convenience store in September 2009.

A grand jury decided the shooting was justified and the widow of 28-year-old Ayers, Abigail Ayers, filed a wrongful death lawsuit accusing deputies of using excessive deadly force, assault, battery and false arrest.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (https://bit.ly/1ebQq0A ) reports the jury awarded the woman more than $2.3 million.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, https://www.ajc.com