CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Police released the name of a man killed on the city’s West Side early Thursday morning.
J’shaad Jones, 18, of Charleston, died of a gunshot wound to the upper body at around 2 a.m. near Central Avenue. He was found in a grassy lot behind the Kickback Lounge. Jones would have turned 19 on Friday.
He was pronounced dead at CAMC General.
Chief of Detectives Lt. Steve Cooper said they had warrant out for Jones after he allegedly shot and wounded Malik Hawk, 18, on Dec. 13 near the 200 block of Bream Street.
This is the second shooting in the last five days in Charleston, but Cooper said he could not confirm if the two incidents were related. Bryan Rogers, 29, of Ripley, was fatally shot near Rebecca Street on Sunday. Tremaine Jackson, 23, was arrested Tuesday.
“The proximity in time to these two shootings just happened to be that they happened in the same week. I don’t have any real direct connection to the two incidents,” Cooper said.
Witnesses say numerous shots were fired. A bullet hole can be seen on the front of the Kickback Lounge, which was open during the time of the shooting, Cooper said.
“We’re still sorting out how many individuals that were involved in this incident were armed,” he said. “We’ve interviewed people who have heard and saw parts of the incident and we’re trying to piece that together along with physical evidence.”
Police have recovered weapons, but Cooper declined to comment specifically what was used to kill Jones.
No one else was hurt. It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved. A motive is also unknown at this time.
Jones’ death marked the eighth murder in 2015. Police have made arrests in the other seven.