JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A second man has been arrested in connection with a shooting at a Jacksonville motel in May that left a 40-year-old man dead, according to police.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Dequan McDonald, 21, has been charged as the second gunman in the death of Giavonathan Butler.
The JSO SWAT Team previously took 25-year-old Alfred Jones III into custody two days after the May 29 deadly shooting.
But JSO said that evidence at the Golfair Boulevard motel room scene proved Jones did not act alone, and the investigation into the case continued, eventually leading detectives to McDonald as the second gunman.
In July, McDonald was arrested in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries and thefts in the Cobblestone area. He has been in the Duval County jail since then, awaiting trial for those charges.
Homicide detectives received a warrant Wednesday for McDonald’s arrest in Butler’s murder. He continues to be held in the Duval County jail.
What led to the shooting?
According to Jones’ arrest affidavit, a witness told detectives that Jones and Butler were arguing earlier that day. The witness said Butler told Jones to move away from his door, which angered Jones.
Booking photo of Alfred Jones III (WJXT)
The witness said that after the dispute, Jones told her that he was tired of people “trying” him. The witness also told investigators that Jones asked several people to check on who was inside Butler’s room before he and another man went in.
Jones then allegedly ran off through a back door, jumped a fence and ran toward Golfair Boulevard.
Detectives canvassing the direction in which Jones ran found a magazine containing six live 9mm rounds near a fence. Investigators said the ammunition matched the casings found at the scene.
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