ROSEDALE, Md. — A four-year-old child is dead and his one-year-old sister and mother are hospitalized following a Christmas Eve shooting.
Now Baltimore County Police have charged the children's father.
It all happened around 6:35am.
A wounded mother ran to a neighbor on Breslin Court begging for help.
She needed police to rescue her children who were injured inside a downstairs apartment bedroom.
Officers forced their way inside and discovered both children lying on a bed bleeding.
One of them, 4-year-old Jacobi Jones, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and later died.
His one-year-old sister was hit in the shoulder.
Their dad, Mark C. Jones Jr., 30, was also located in the bedroom. Detectives believe he shot his own children and their mother before turning the gun on himself.
According to the mother, Jones lived with the family at the apartment.
He reportedly spent the previous night sleeping in the kids bedroom, while she and the children slept in her room.
On Christmas Eve morning, Jones allegedly came into her room and began to argue.
The mother claims Jacobi told his dad to leave at which time he grabbed a gun out of a bag and fired striking her and both children.
She somehow got to the neighbor who called 911. The neighbor reported hearing the mother screaming "please don't do it," before gunshots rang out.
Jones' mother told investigators she missed an earlier FaceTime call from her son. When she called back, Jones answered with a bloody face saying "I couldn't take it anymore."
Jones now faces one count of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder.
Court documents show Jones previously charged with assault using a firearm in May 2023. He ultimately pleaded guilty to second degree assault and was sentenced to probation before judgment.
A temporary restraining order was also issued against Jones in January 2023 for alleged domestic violence, but was pulled by the petitioner just days later.
If you or someone you love is in an abusive relationship, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233. In Maryland, the House of Ruth's 24-7 line is 410-889-7884.
