On the evening of October 27, 2025, in Lexington Park, Maryland, a verbal altercation outside a residence on Bellevue Court culminated in the shooting death of 38-year-old Carl Joseph Carpenter. A male, Carpenter, a married father of five and a military veteran, was reportedly at the location to pick someone up for work when the fatal encounter occurred.
Deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene around 6:40 p.m. for a report of an assault in progress, which was updated to shots fired while they were en route. Upon arrival, they found Carpenter in a gravel area next to the driveway with gunshot wounds to his head and upper body.
A man identified as 58-year-old David Scott Jones was present at the scene, holding a handgun, and surrendered to the deputies without incident. The investigation that followed revealed that an argument had taken place between Jones and Carpenter just before the shooting. Home surveillance footage reportedly captured the moments leading up to the incident. According to investigators, after a verbal exchange, Jones's wife, Djhonna Mari Jones, exited the residence and handed him a handgun. As Carpenter was attempting to leave in his vehicle, Jones allegedly fired through the window, striking him in the head, and then fired additional shots into his upper body.
Investigators recovered a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun registered to Jones's wife at the scene. An unloaded handgun registered to Carpenter was also found. Jones was discovered to be in possession of a concealed knife, nunchucks, and additional ammunition, and records indicated he was legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions.
David Scott Jones was arrested and charged with first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, and multiple firearms offenses. He was subsequently held without bond at the St. Mary's County Detention and Rehabilitation Center pending a preliminary hearing.
