In the pre-dawn hours of October 21, 2024, a Memphis, Tennessee, man named Fernando Jones, aged 48, was fatally shot outside his home. The incident occurred shortly before 3 a.m. in the 7000 block of Cutter Mill Road. Jones had noticed several individuals attempting to break into his vehicle in his driveway. When he opened his front door and shouted at them, he was shot multiple times.
He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
The investigation into the shooting led the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to a broader criminal enterprise. On December 16, 2024, authorities executed a search warrant at a residence in the 5900 block of Grosvenor Avenue in East Memphis. The search uncovered four stolen vehicles, including a Maserati SUV, two Nissan Maximas, and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, along with eleven firearms and over two pounds of marijuana. This discovery pointed to a significant vehicle theft ring operating in the area.
In connection with the vehicle theft ring, eight individuals were arrested. Among them was 19-year-old Donte Eddings, who was identified by investigators as one of the individuals who shot Fernando Jones. Eddings was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Court records revealed that just over a month before the fatal shooting, Eddings had been granted diversion for an attempted car burglary charge in September 2024. He now faces a violation of his diversion in addition to the murder charge. He is being held without bond.
Three other men, identified as Xavier King, Tredairious Willis, and Jakarius Ishmon, were also implicated in the events surrounding Jones's death. They were charged with accessory after the fact, arson, and tampering with evidence. Authorities allege that they set fire to the stolen white Honda Accord that was used as the getaway vehicle in the shooting. Surveillance footage captured them purchasing gasoline shortly after the incident, and they later confessed to burning the car in a park.
