On December 3, 2019, Justin Deon Jones, a 26-year-old African American male, was killed in a shooting incident in Berkeley, Missouri, a suburb within St. Louis County. The event occurred in the early morning hours at a Waffle House restaurant located on James S. McDonnell Boulevard, near the St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Jones was inside the establishment celebrating his 26th birthday when a bullet fired from outside the building shattered a window and struck him.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
Authorities determined that the shot originated from the parking lot or an area exterior to the diner, piercing the glass to hit Jones who was seated inside. At the time of the incident, investigators from the St. Louis County Police Department stated they believed the shooter was outside the restaurant when the fatal shot was fired. No description of a suspect was immediately released, and reports from the time indicated that police had not taken anyone into custody in connection with the homicide.
Jones was known in his community for his involvement with the 'Gentlemen of Vision,' a mentoring and step team organization for high school students, where he served as a mentor and alumni member. He had graduated from Riverview Gardens High School and later attended college, majoring in Criminal Justice. Despite the public nature of the shooting and the presence of other patrons in the restaurant, no arrests have been publicly reported in the years following his death, and the case has remained without a named suspect in available records.
