By Meena Kar
A northeast Georgia Pastor Jonathan Ayers has been shot dead by an undercover officer at a Shell Gas Station in Toccoa on Tuesday.

Matt Carpenter, his brother-in-law told the media in disbelief that Ayers was one of the “Godliest men” he had come across and it was hard to gulp down the fact that the 28 year old was linked with drugs or anything illicit for that matter. The family was in deep shock. Ayers and his wife Abby were expecting a baby.

Stephen County Sheriff Randy Shirley revealed To WYFF News (Greenville, SC) that the woman inside Ayers’ car was arrested for selling drugs and it was proved that she was a drug dealer. Georgia Bureau Of Investigation (GBI) Spokesman John Bankhead said that Ayers of Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lovania was not the target of the undercover officers carrying out the drug sting operation.

They had only followed the pastor’s car to the Shell Gas station after he dropped an unidentified woman, and on being approached by the officers shortly for investigation, acted defensively, striking one by his car and targeting another, when he was open-fired at.

Despite getting injured by the shots fired by the undercover officer, Ayers sped off another half a mile from the scene of shooting before crashing his car and losing consciousness. Later he was declared dead at the Stephen County Hospital on Tuesday. He got a gunshot at his torso.

It is an extremely unfortunate incident that a man of such rectitude is abruptly a victim of a controversial affair.