Dante Redmond Jones
Birth date:
February 7, 1991
Death date:
November 18, 2019
Age at Death:
28
About
Mr. Jones was born in Othello, Washington, but at the time of his death was from Pasco, Washington. He graduated from Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, Arizona; he joined the Marines after high school. According to his step mother, he had a difficult childhood, being abandoned by his birthmother at the age of 16. The step mother described him as a "hero," and a giving, selfless individual, ready to help others. She said he was loved. Per his Marine brothers, Mr. Jones was a hard worker. His step mother reported when he came back from his last deployment he was struggling emotionally. She said he served his country and lived an amazing life given his early upbringing.
Mr. Jones was pursued by three different Franklin County deputies who were responding to reports of a "suspicious" vehicle driving at a high speed. Circumstances of the event are varied and there were no witnesses to the fatal shooting. There is no dashcam footage or video.
One deputy approached Mr. Jones' while his vehicle was stopped and fired upon Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones continued to drive his vehicle for about a half a mile and came to a stop. He died in the ambulance ride to the hospital. He had multiple gunshot wounds.
Was justice served?
No. As of February 2021 no decision on whether to charge the deputies has been made. The county is still evaluating evidence. Forensic evidence contradicts the narrative provided by the deputies about Mr. Jones' response to deputies. Further, the deputies were told to cease the pursuit before Mr. Jones' was shot and continued anyway. It is a disputed fact that the officer who shot Mr. Jones said he got clearance to go ahead but the audio of the exchange between the deputy and his sergeant do not support that claim.