In the early morning hours of a January day in Jonestown, Mississippi, a tragic series of events unfolded that ended the life of one-year-old Averi Jones. The young girl was at the Summit Garden Apartments when Marquez Griffin, a 25-year-old man described as a friend of Averi's mother, was allegedly involved in a violent altercation. The Coahoma County Sheriff's Office received a call around 2 a.m.
about a child having been shot.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found themselves in a tense standoff with Griffin, who was reportedly holding another child at gunpoint. An off-duty deputy who lived nearby was the first to respond after hearing the call on the radio. After a period of negotiation, deputies were able to persuade Griffin to release the child and surrender his weapon. He was then taken into custody.
Once inside the apartment, authorities made a devastating discovery. They found Averi and a nine-year-old boy with gunshot wounds. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, while Averi was rushed to a nearby hospital in Clarksdale, where she succumbed to her injuries. According to Averi's grandmother, Melrose Haile, the little girl was asleep when she was shot. Haile shared the heartbreaking detail that Griffin allegedly placed a pillow over Averi's head before shooting her.
Marquez Griffin, who had recently moved back to the area from Texas, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The motive for the killings was not immediately clear to investigators. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of two young lives, with Averi's family remembering her as a sweet and happy baby who would have turned two in June.
