In the early hours of May 28, 2017, a verbal altercation in Janesville, Wisconsin, tragically cut short the life of 28-year-old Eddie Lee Jones, a Black/African American man from Markham, Illinois. The dispute, which took place just before 12:30 a.m. in the 100 block of South Franklin Street, quickly escalated into violence.
The argument was with 32-year-old Barquis D. Odom of Beloit. During the course of the disagreement, Odom produced a handgun and shot Jones in the face and neck.
After the shooting, Odom fled the scene. Jones was discovered wounded inside a house and was rushed to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The Rock County Medical Examiner later confirmed that his death was a result of "homicidal firearm trauma." Police noted that drugs were found on Jones's person, suggesting the incident may have been drug-related, though the primary cause was identified as the verbal altercation. The firearm used in the shooting was not immediately recovered.
The Janesville Police Department swiftly launched an investigation into what was the city's first homicide since 2014. Witness statements quickly identified Odom as the shooter. Later that same day, around 9:15 p.m., officers located a vehicle driven by the suspect on the city's west side. A high-risk traffic stop was conducted on Rockport Road, and Odom, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon. Later in 2017, Barquis D. Odom was convicted for the murder of Eddie Lee Jones.
