A man was arrested in the shooting death of his nine-year-old son outside a Compton home.
On Monday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Nicholas Jones, 32, was identified as the suspect in the shooting death of his son, Princeton Jones.
"Detectives arrested Jones on December 1, 2024, for murder and child abuse resulting in death," according to the department.
The shooting occurred Saturday in the 15000 block of South Haskins Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Jones was playing outside his grandfather's house when he was shot and killed.
In a GoFundMe page for the family, Jones was described as a “special young man with a brilliant mind and a warm heart.”
“Diagnosed with mild autism at the age of 2, Princeton worked tirelessly with the loving support of his mother and began speaking fluently by the age of 5,” the statement continued.
Sabrina, who lives in the neighborhood, told KNX News’ Jon Baird she heard the shots and wasn’t surprised that the father had been arrested because she said detectives were not looking elsewhere for a suspect.
“So you kind of put two and two together still when the dad was detained over his son's killing,” she said.
One man, however, told Baird there’s no way Jones shot his son.
“I’m 100% sure Nicholas Jones would never hurt his son,” he said. “Nicholas Jones loves his son. He always with his son.”
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The city of Compton issued the following statement to KTLA:
“The City of Compton mourns the loss of the 9-year-old boy who was killed on Saturday evening in West Rancho Dominguez. Our hearts go out to the family as they cope with this tremendous loss. We encourage anyone with more information to call the LA County Sheriff’s Department at (310) 605-6500.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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