On June 17, 2022, a tragedy unfolded in Hazelwood, Missouri, involving Preston Jones, a 20-year-old Black male who was at home with his family on the 7600 block of Hazelcrest Drive. In the early hours of the morning, while he was asleep in his bedroom, a bullet pierced through the window and struck him. The sudden violence shattered the peace of the household, which included his mother, brothers, and younger cousins.
Jones did not survive the injury and passed away in the arms of his older brother, Princeton, while his family looked on in horror.
When the Hazelwood Police Department arrived at the apartment complex around 3:00 a.m., they described a chaotic scene. Officers attempted to secure the area and gather information, but tensions ran high. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police arrested two of the victim's brothers, Princeton and Esau Jones. However, these arrests were not for the murder of their brother; rather, they were taken into custody for refusing to identify themselves and for outstanding warrants. The police reported that the witnesses present were initially uncooperative, which complicated the early stages of the investigation.
Despite the passage of time, the homicide case remains unsolved. Detectives have explored various leads and theories, including the possibility that the shooter or shooters were juveniles, which might explain the lack of fingerprints or DNA evidence in the system. As of the latest updates, no suspects have been formally identified or charged with the murder. Jones's mother, Precious Jones, has since channeled her grief into community activism, founding a nonprofit organization designed to combat violence and poverty, keeping her son's memory alive while seeking justice that has so far remained elusive.
