On a cold January night in Saint Paul, Minnesota, what began as a birthday celebration ended in tragedy, leaving a family shattered and a community in shock. Prince Pope, a Black/African American man, was ringing in his 32nd year with loved ones at a house party in the Frogtown neighborhood on January 26, 2014. The festive atmosphere took a dark turn when a dispute erupted, irrevocably altering the course of many lives.
The conflict reportedly arose from a sensitive family matter.
Prince and his brother, Rico Jackson, confronted a man named Damonta Jones, who was the boyfriend of their sister. They suspected that Jones had been physically abusive towards her, and the brothers sought to address the issue directly. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated into physical violence, drawing in a friend of Jones, Leevester Rhodes. In the ensuing chaos, Rhodes allegedly stabbed Rico Jackson, inflicting non-life-threatening injuries. As Prince Pope stepped in to intervene and protect his brother, he was fatally shot.
The immediate aftermath was a scene of confusion and sorrow. Police were called to the residence on Van Buren Avenue, where they discovered Prince Pope deceased and his brother wounded. The initial investigation pointed to the altercation with Jones and Rhodes as the catalyst for the deadly violence. Law enforcement acted swiftly, and within a day, both Damonta Jones, then 21, and Leevester Rhodes, then 24, were taken into custody in connection with the homicide.
Following their arrests, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office began the process of building a case against the two suspects. The investigation involved gathering evidence from the scene, interviewing numerous witnesses who were present at the party, and piecing together the sequence of events that led to the fatal shooting and stabbing. The charges brought against Jones and Rhodes reflected the severity of the incident, as the community grappled with the senseless loss of a young man who was celebrating his life just hours before it was cut short. The legal proceedings would determine the accountability of the two men in the tragic death of Prince Pope and the assault on his brother.
