Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies have arrested the father of a 9-year-old boy who was recently shot and killed while he was playing in the backyard of his grandfather’s home in Compton, the Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.
Homicide detectives honed in on the boy’s father shortly after the shooting on the night of Nov. 30 in the 15000 block of South Haskins Avenue. His arrest was made on the same day that a vigil was held for the boy, whom family identified as Princeton Nicholas Jones.
Creole Green, the boy’s mother, could not be immediately reached for comment.
In a written statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified Nicholas Jones, 32, as a murder suspect in the killing. Detectives did not release any details about his arrest. Jones was booked at the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station on suspicion of murder and child abuse resulting in death. He is being held in lieu of a $2 million bail. Reached by phone, Jones’ father declined to comment.
In an interview with ABC-7, Green said she was devastated over the loss of her son, who was just 9.
“I have no words,” she told the station. “I lost my son, my only son, my first-born son.”
In a GoFundMe post, Green said her son was a special young man with a brilliant mind and a warm heart.
“Princeton was a beacon of joy, lighting up every room he entered with his humor and infectious smile,” she wrote. “He was adored by his friends, family, and community, who all cherished the incredible person he was becoming.”
