A Maryland man is accused of shooting his 4-year-old son in the head on Christmas Eve after the boy requested to leave his mother’s bedroom during an argument.
“The agony and pain I feel is something [I] wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,” writes Promyss Marcelle, mother of victim Jacobi Jones, on GoFundMe. “Grieving the loss of my son has been the most unbearable thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”
According to Baltimore County Police Department officials, Mark Jones, 30, allegedly murdered the young boy during a “domestic-related assault” at the family’s Rosedale residence. He also shot Marcelle and her other child, a one-year-old girl, several times and attempted suicide but survived, according to officials.
Marcelle told local NBC affiliate WBAL that Jacobi was excited to open his Christmas gifts before his death.
“He kept trying to open the presents but I would tell him you’ve got to wait till Christmas,” she recalled. “And he never got to open those presents.”
According to charging documents obtained by CBS affiliate WJZ and local ABC affiliate WMAR, Jones is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly attacking his son and family during an argument with Marcelle in her bedroom that morning.
Jacobi Jones allegedly asked his father to leave the room during the fight, prompting him to pull out a handgun and shoot him, according to police.
“At approximately 6:35 a.m., officers responded to the unit block of Breslin Court, 21237, for reports of a shooting,” according to a press release from BCPD. “Once on scene, officers discovered an adult female and two juveniles with apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body. Medics took the three victims to a nearby hospital, where one juvenile was pronounced dead.
Marcelle revealed to local media after the shooting that domestic violence was a major issue in her relationship with Mark Jones. Court documents obtained by WMAR show that Jones was previously charged with assault with a firearm in May 2023. He was sentenced to probation before judgment after pleading guilty to second-degree assault, as reported by WMAR.
Police issued a temporary restraining order against Mark Jones for domestic violence in January 2023, but the charge was dismissed several days later for unknown reasons, according to WMAR.
“Even if you’re quote-unquote lonely, or you want to make your family, because some people don’t grow up with moms and dads, so they want to give their kid what they didn’t have, but it’s not worth it,” she told WBAL.
“I understand it’s [easier] said, because anyone can say, ‘Hey, leave,’ but you leave when you’re ready. But take my story: now that I’ve been forced to leave, I basically don’t have my son.”
Mark Jones faces multiple charges, including murder, attempted first degree murder, child abuse, and assault. He is being held without a bond.