Prince Carmen Jones, a 25-year-old Black man, was driving his Jeep Cherokee in the early morning hours of September 1, 2000, to visit his fiancée in Fairfax, Virginia. His journey took a fatal turn when he was followed by an undercover Prince George's County, Maryland police officer, Corporal Carlton B. Jones. The officer, who is also Black and not related to Prince Jones, pursued him for 15 miles into Virginia, mistakenly believing he was a suspect in the theft of a police officer's service
weapon. The pursuit ended in a quiet residential neighborhood near Seven Corners.
The situation escalated when Corporal Jones, who was in an unmarked vehicle and not in uniform, confronted Prince Jones. The officer displayed his handgun but did not show his badge. According to the officer's account, Prince Jones then used his Jeep to ram the officer's vehicle. In response, Corporal Jones fired his weapon 16 times, striking Prince Jones six times, with five of the bullets entering his back. The unarmed Howard University student was able to drive a short distance before crashing near his fiancée's home, where he died from his injuries.
In the aftermath of the shooting, a Virginia prosecutor decided not to file criminal charges against Corporal Carlton B. Jones. The Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney determined that the officer was conducting a legitimate police operation and believed he was acting in self-defense. The U.S. Department of Justice also conducted a civil rights investigation and concluded there was insufficient evidence to bring federal criminal charges. The officer's supervisor, Sergeant Al Bailey, was later cleared of any wrongdoing in an internal police hearing.
Despite the lack of criminal charges, the family of Prince Jones pursued a civil lawsuit. A Prince George's County Circuit Court jury found that Prince Jones's death was wrongful and a result of a justice system that failed to properly supervise its officers. The jury awarded his infant daughter $2.5 million in damages. The tragic death of Prince Jones was later highlighted in Ta-Nehisi Coates's book 'Between the World and Me,' where he wrote about the life and death of his friend from Howard University.
