Two-year-old Ashton Jones was playing on his tricycle in his family’s front yard on a Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when his life was tragically taken. It was around 4:30 p.m. on March 13, 2022, when a white car drove by the residence on 19th Street and multiple shots were fired from inside. The gunfire struck Ashton and also killed 25-year-old Marcus Winston Jr., who was standing nearby. Winston, who was not related to the child, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ashton, a Black toddler, was critically injured and rushed to a local hospital, where he later died.
Ashton’s family remembered him as a happy and fun-loving boy who was always smiling and with whom there was never a dull moment. His grandparents, Linda and Randy Jones, were left devastated. “I want some justice for my grandbaby,” Randy Jones said through tears. Linda Jones said her grandson was struck in the head. “That’s an innocent baby,” she said, describing the horror of watching doctors disconnect life support at the hospital.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit launched an immediate investigation. Authorities announced they were looking for three persons of interest: 19-year-old Tyrese Laquon Bell, also known as "Red," Kaleria Alicia Gilbert, and Deantwone Dante Long. Within a day, investigators had located both Bell and Gilbert. After questioning, Gilbert was cleared of any involvement. Police later confirmed that all persons of interest they had sought for questioning had been located.
The investigation led to the arrest of Tyrese Bell on Monday, March 14. He was charged with two counts of murder, and his bond was set at $3 million. That same night, a second suspect, a juvenile, was also taken into custody. Because the suspect was under the age of 18, their name was not released, but they faced a more severe charge of capital murder.
According to court records, Bell admitted to investigators that he was driving the car during the shooting. He alleged that the juvenile, who was a passenger in the backseat, was the one who fired the shots that killed both Marcus Winston Jr. and Ashton Jones. While arrests were made, a clear motive for the shooting was not released by authorities, who stated they did not believe the two-year-old was the intended target.
The case proceeded through the legal system. In a subsequent development, a Tuscaloosa County jury returned a guilty verdict on murder charges in the case.
