In the early morning hours of October 9, 2015, a dispute in a parking lot on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff, Arizona, tragically ended the life of 20-year-old Colin Brough. An 18-year-old freshman named Steven Jones shot Brough and three other students following a confrontation. Brough, a junior at the university, was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.
The incident began after a party at an off-campus student apartment.
A dispute erupted between a group that included Jones and members of the Delta Chi fraternity, including Brough. Jones claimed that he was assaulted and threatened, prompting him to retrieve his. 40-caliber Glock 22 from his car. He alleged that he fired in self-defense as Brough and others moved toward him. In total, Jones fired ten shots, striking Brough twice in the chest and right shoulder. The other three students, Nicholas Piring, Nicholas Prato, and Kyle Zientek, were also injured in the shooting. An autopsy later revealed that Brough died from the gunshot wounds. The medical examiner also found that Brough had a high blood-alcohol level and traces of marijuana in his system at the time of his death.
Steven Jones was arrested at the scene and was initially charged with first-degree murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault. The murder charge was later changed to second-degree murder, with police stating that Jones did not act with premeditation. Jones pleaded not guilty, maintaining that he acted in self-defense. His first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. Before a retrial could begin, Jones accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and three counts of aggravated assault. In February 2020, he was sentenced to six years in prison. Jones was released on parole in August 2024, having served four years and seven months of his sentence.
