In a quiet Antioch neighborhood on the morning of May 5, 2026, the life of 44-year-old Cordai Mustafi was tragically cut short. The serene atmosphere on Percheron Way was shattered by the sound of gunfire, a violent intrusion that would leave a lasting scar on the community. Inside a residence, Mustafi was fatally shot, becoming the victim of a brutal attack that also left two others, 46-year-old Shontella Anderson and 23-year-old Dejon Anderson, with injuries.
First responders arrived at the scene to find a grim situation, and despite their efforts, Mustafi was pronounced dead. The initial chaos soon gave way to a determined police investigation as officers worked to piece together the events that led to this senseless act of violence and track down the person responsible.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Jaquan Tarrell Jones, an Antioch resident, did not remain at large for long. After the shooting, he fled the home on Percheron Way and made his way to a nearby residence on Dawnview Court. There, in a desperate attempt to evade capture, he broke into the home and took a 65-year-old woman, who was caring for a child, hostage. The Antioch Police Department, responding swiftly to the unfolding crisis, located Jones at this second location. After a tense situation, officers were able to apprehend him and recover the weapon believed to have been used in the shooting. The arrest brought a swift, but not complete, sense of relief to the neighborhood, as the full scope of the day's violent rampage was just beginning to be understood.
Following his arrest, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office filed a litany of felony charges against Jaquan Tarrell Jones. The charges included the murder of Cordai Mustafi, the attempted murder of Shontella and Dejon Anderson, kidnapping, and child abuse. It was also revealed that Jones had a history of violent crime, with prior felony convictions for robbery in 2006 and possession of a firearm in 2024. These past offenses led to additional charges and special allegations, including possession of a firearm with prior violent convictions and enhancements for the use of a firearm causing great bodily injury. Jones was held at the Martinez Detention Facility on a bond of $11,620,000, and his arraignment was set for May 8, 2026. The case against him painted a picture of a violent individual whose actions resulted in a devastating loss of life and inflicted trauma on multiple victims, leaving a community to grapple with the aftermath of a tragic and violent day.
