BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A father from Baltimore County has been found guilty related to a tragic shooting incident that occurred on Christmas Eve in 2024, which resulted in the death of his 4-year-old son and left two others injured, as stated by a representative from the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Mark Jones Jr. has been convicted of several serious charges, including second-degree murder, the use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, child abuse resulting in severe physical injury, along with two counts of attempted second-degree murder and additional charges of child abuse.
As detailed in the court documents, the shooting took place early on Christmas Eve morning at an apartment complex located on Breslin Court in Rosedale.
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The children’s mother, who also suffered injuries from the shooting, was able to escape and ran to a neighbor’s house, pleading for assistance.
In her urgent plea, she informed the neighbor that she needed police intervention to help her children, who had been shot inside their bedroom in the apartment.
When Baltimore County police officers arrived, they had to force their way into the apartment, discovering both children lying on a bed, bleeding from their injuries.
Tragically, 4-year-old Jacobi Jones had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and later succumbed to his injuries. His younger sister, just 1 year old, sustained a gunshot wound to her shoulder.
Authorities reported that they found Mark Jones inside the bedroom of the apartment at the time of their arrival.
According to the charging documents, detectives allege that Jones shot both children and their mother before attempting to turn the gun on himself.
The mother recounted to police that Jones had been living with them in the apartment and had spent the previous night in the children’s bedroom while she and the kids slept in a different room.
In her statement, she mentioned that Jacobi had told his father to leave, prompting Jones to pull out a firearm from a bag and open fire, hitting her and both children.
She managed to flee to a neighbor’s apartment, where that neighbor promptly dialed 911 for help. The neighbor later recounted hearing the mother scream, “Please don’t do it,” followed by the sound of gunfire.
Investigators also spoke with Jones’ mother, who shared that she had missed a FaceTime call from her son earlier. When she returned the call, she described seeing him with a bloody face, as he told her, “I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Additionally, court records revealed that Jones had faced previous charges in May 2023 related to a firearm assault. He ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and was sentenced to probation before judgment.
