Family seeks help in funeral expenses for man fatally shot by Mobile police
The family for the 25-year-old Mobile man shot and killed by a police officer during an incident at his home on March 7, is seeking help to pay for funeral expenses.
The funeral for Kordell “Joe” Jones is scheduled for tomorrow.
Jones was shot and killed while a Mobile police SWAT team was attempting to execute a search warrant at 856 Charles St., related to a robbery investigation involving his brother, Jason Jones.
His mother, Monica Jones, has set up a GoFundMe account to help with the funeral expenses. While Jones said she has an insurance policy for her son, the policy “is short of a two-year maturity date,” which made the insurance policy contestable.
“The wonderful mortuary that my son is entrusted to was just made aware that the policy is contestable,” Jones wrote on the website. “I am trying to raise the funds to bury my son.”
The goal is to raise $15,617.17 before noon tomorrow. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, they had raised $1,105.
“Any donations would be greatly appreciated,” Jones wrote. “This has been a devastating loss for my family. We appreciate the acts of kindness that we have been receiving.”
Mobile police continue to investigate the shooting death of Jones, a 2016 graduate of B.C. Rain High School. He was shot and killed while police attempted “to put everyone on notice” inside the house in an attempt to get them to leave in an orderly fashion. Six people, including a child, reportedly complied and left the home after authorities — among other things — attempted to gain access by the front door through an “energized breach method” that created a loud boom rattling the neighborhood south of downtown Mobile.
Jones, according to police, leapt through a rear window, was completely nude and armed with an AR-style rifle that he legally owned. Jones was shot dead by a SWAT officer. Preliminary reports indicate that the officer fired four shots at Jones, striking him twice to the left side of his body and one to the left shoulder.
Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine revealed some of the preliminary reports of the investigation during a news conference one week ago, but he declined at the time to release the name of the officer who shot and killed Jones. He said he was worried about the safety of his officers in the shooting’s aftermath.
Mobile Police Cpl. Katrina Frazier, a spokeswoman for the department, said that police do not have further information to release on the incident.
“We understand the importance of keeping the public informed, but we cannot release the officer’s name until we are confident that no credible threats exist against any police officer,” Frazier said Thursday. ” Our top priority is to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
Frazier said the department does not have funds set aside to help with funeral expenses.
Prine, during the news conference on March 9, blamed Jason Jones for his brother’s death, saying that had he not been involved in criminal activity that included an armed robbery in February — as well as being a person of interest in a homicide — Mobile police would not have approached the Charles Street house on March 7.
Jones’ family, following the news conference, criticized Prine. LaKenda Jones, a sister, said it wasn’t Jason Jones who shot and killed Kordell Jones, it was a Mobile police officer.
“We are not going for it,” she said.