Police Officer Ronald W. Jones

Ronald W. Jones

Police Officer Ronald Jones was shot and killed while attempting to serve a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation on Mary Street.

Officer Jones entered the rear door of a residence and was shot as he made entry into a bedroom. The shot struck him in the abdomen below his vest. He succumbed to his wound while being transported to a local hospital in a patrol car.

The man who shot Officer Jones was arrested at the scene and charged with capital murder. He was found guilty of capital murder on January 23rd, 2004, and sentenced to death. The death sentence was later reduced to life without parole. In 2011 the sentence was further reduced to 10 years, including time served, following a second trial in which he plead guilty to manslaughter.

Officer Jones had served with the five-officer Prentiss Police Department for five years. His father was chief of police at the time of the shooting. He is survived by his parents and two brothers.