Who was Christopher Jones Jr? Shooting at Minneapolis gun violence victim's funeral kills one
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A funeral at Shiloh Temple, Minneapolis turned deadly after one was killed and another injured due to a gunfight. Police have detained several suspects, but it is unclear if the gunman is among them. The police are also probing if the shooting is related in any way to Christopher Jones Jr, 24, whose funeral it was when the incident occurred.
Minneapolis is currently facing a large surge in gun violence, adding to the violence brought on by the death of George Floyd in 2020. The Shiloh Temple was also where two months ago the funeral of Daunte Wright, who was mistakenly shot by a policewoman Kim Potter was held. In late May, a 9-year-old girl Trinity Ottoson-Smith was shot dead while playing on a trampoline. One person was injured on May 25 after being shot at, during a memorial for George Floyd at the square named in his honor. According to the Minneapolis Police Department, homicides are more than double in 2021 as compared to 2020, just six months in.
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One of those violent murders was that of Jones Jr, who was killed along with Charlie Johnson outside the Monarch nightclub in downtown Minneapolis on May 22. That shooting left eight others injured and one person was booked. Violence seems to have followed Jones Jr to the grave, with the shooting at his funeral at the Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis.
Who was Christopher Jones Jr?
According to his Facebook page, the 24-year-old was originally from Gary, Indiana. It's unclear when he moved to Minnesota, but it would have been sometime around 2012. His page says he attended Park Center Senior High School, which is located in Brooklyn Park from 2012. He then went on to study at North Hennepin Community College. He described himself as a "soldier" at Stay2954Focused. It's unclear what that is a reference to, we found a Twitter account with the handle @Stay2954Focused, but it only has 1 tweet, made in 2014.
Stay2954Focused appears to be a band of some sort. We did find a music video on YouTube titled "Tayo x King CJ - My City", with a call to follow the group on Snapchat at the end. Beyond that, there's little we know about Jones Jr. Judging by photos he has uploaded on Facebook, Jones Jr appears to be the father of two children. He captioned one photo "Merry Christmas From Me & Mines," with an image of him and two children.
In 2016, Jones Jr was arrested and charged for firing shots at vehicles at Flameburger Restaurant. He was incarcerated in 2018 and released in 2021. It is unclear if that incident was gang-related, further information was not available.
The Brooklyn Park resident was reportedly involved in the violence that led to his death. According to reports, he and Jawan Contrail Carroll fired at each other, leading to his death and the arrest of Carroll. It's unclear why the two were shooting at each other, but they were reportedly spotted in an altercation before the shooting. His funeral was taking place when the latest shooting incident occurred.
Violence erupts at the funeral
According to reports, at around 12:41 pm, an argument between two groups inside the church spilled to the parking lot, leading to the gunfire. "All of a sudden the crowd that was outside came running into the church saying, ‘they’re shooting they’re shooting they’re shooting’," Bishop Richard Howell told Fox News. The suspects then left the scene, before officers arrived. The violence has led to one person being admitted to the Hennepin County Medical Center in critical condition. He was later confirmed to have died from his wounds. A second victim is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Howell, two friends who attended the funeral "wanted to have it out between themselves". "To host a funeral of this magnitude, of course, we certainly have to understand that there’s a lot of grief a lot of mourning, and a lot of anger," Howell added. "We understand that, but we certainly have to understand what steps to take so we cannot have this repeated again."
The shooting is currently under investigation. Shortly after the violence, police located a vehicle and took multiple people into custody. "The fact that we have shootings during the day…speaks to the brazenness of these crimes, the lack of caring of what people are putting in danger," police spokesperson John Elder said in a press conference.
Police are urging anyone with information of Friday's, June 11, shooting to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).