Officer

Family Wants Answers 2 Months After Delaware Police-Involved Shooting

Family members want answers two months after a shooting by Wilmington police left a man gravely wounded.

Twenty-four-year-old Marvin Jones is a quadriplegic on life support following the shooting during a traffic stop in Wilmington in January.

“Basically he’s paralyzed from the neck down right now,” said his sister Tracie Jones.

Tracie Jones traveled from Georgia to visit her brother in his room at Christiana Hospital. Guards stand outside his door 24/7.

Marvin Jones, who is also from Georgia, was visiting Wilmington with a friend back on January 15. Sergeant Andrea Janvier, a Wilmington Police spokesperson, said officers shot Jones during a traffic stop.

“A struggle ensued, shots were fired at the officer and the officer returned fire,” she said back in January.

Yet while police initially said Jones opened fire, they later corrected their statement and said he never pulled the trigger. 

NBC10 obtained an affidavit which accuses Jones of trying to flee the scene. Jones also allegedly waved a 9MM handgun, which police say he had illegally, and pointed it at an officer, according to the affidavit. The affidavit states an officer yelled out “gun” and Jones was then shot and paralyzed.

Police said a second handgun was found in the car. Jones and 28-year-old Robert Carlisle, also of Georgia, are charged with several weapons offenses.

Jones’ family says they still can’t get answers to the questions they have about the incident. Jones is currently too injured to go to court or visit his young daughter.

“It’s very hard to see him like that but I just tell him keep praying and we will get through this,” Tracie Jones said.

Earlier this month the Delaware NAACP called for a special prosecutor to investigate the shooting.  Richard Smith, president of the Delaware NAACP, told The News Journal of Wilmington that "something is wrong" with the explanation by police. Smith says he also believes racial profiling led to the traffic stop.

A spokesperson with the Attorney General’s Office told NBC10 they will investigate the officers’ actions once Wilmington Police finish their investigation. Wilmington Police have not yet revealed how far along they are in that investigation. They did say however the officers involved are currently off the streets.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us