Man Arrested for Shooting 4-Year-Old “Prohibited” From Having Gun - Multiple Prior Felony Charges
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Cranston Police on Tuesday afternoon released a statement on the arrest in the shooting of a four-year-old in the city earlier in the day.
According to police, the child's father, Michael Jones, who allegedly shot him, had been arrested in 2022 and had been "ordered" to be barred from possessing a firearm.
Court records show Jones previously faced a domestic violence felony assault charges including “using a firearm when committing a crime” on March 28, 2022, stemming from an October 26, 2021 offense.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn June 2022, Jones pled nolo — and was given a two-year suspended sentence by Magistrate William Rampone on the condition of “forfeiture of a firearm” and counseling.
Jones was then presented as a violator in August 2023 for reasons not cited in public Rhode Island court records, and had been held without bail. He was released and a warrant for his arrest was canceled.
No fewer than three “violation” hearings were scheduled before Magistrate John McBurnery between September and his arrest on Tuesday, which were listed as “pending further investigation" each time they were pushed off.
Jones had also been arrested in 2020 for domestic assault and given a suspended sentence by Magistrate Patrick Burke.
Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins said he has no comment on the incident.
Cranston Police Release
Cranston Police released the following on Tuesday afternoon.
"At approximately 10:12 a.m., the Cranston Fire Department received 911 calls that a four-year-old boy had been shot at 25 Queen Street. The caller indicated the father was responsible for the shooting.
Patrol Officers arrived to find Michael A. Jones, age 33, holding his son with an apparent gunshot wound to his head. The boy was transported by rescue to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where he remains in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery. Jones was taken into custody and returned to Cranston Police Headquarters in furtherance of the investigation.
An investigation conducted by members of the Cranston Police Special Victims Unit revealed that Jones was inside a second-floor bedroom of his apartment handling a loaded firearm described as a 9-millimeter handgun. According to Jones, he accidentally discharged the gun, causing a single round to travel through the wall and strike his son in the head in an adjacent room. The child’s grandfather, who resides on the first floor, called 911 for medical help.
A court-authorized search warrant was executed at the residence, resulting in the recovery of loaded 9-millimeter believed to have been used in the shooting.
Jones was previously convicted of a felony assault and, on June 1, 2022, sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and probation. Jones is, therefore, prohibited from possessing a firearm. How Jones acquired the gun remains under investigation.
Jones will be arraigned at Cranston Police Headquarters on the following charges:
• Felony Assault
• Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person (Convicted of a Crime of Violence)
• Firing in a Compact Area
Jones will also be presented by a prosecutor from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office for violating a suspended sentence."
This story was first published 10/31/23 5:35 PM
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