Teen charged as adult in zoo shooting

Police arrested Jones, center at his grandmother's home in Washington on Tuesday

April 26, 2000
Web posted at: 9:17 p.m. EDT (0117 GMT)

In this story: Witnesses said suspect had gun Crowds return to zoo RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON -- The 16-year-old arrested after the shooting spree at the National Zoo has been charged as an adult and ordered held without bond.

Antoine Bernard Jones was charged with assault with intent to commit murder while armed in the shooting of an 11-year-old boy. He made his first appearance Wednesday in District of Columbia Superior Court.

Police say the 11-year-old, who remains in critical condition at the Children's National Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the head, was wounded when Jones opened fire on a group of young people outside the zoo Monday. Seven youths were injured; two remain hospitalized.

MESSAGE BOARD National Zoo shootings     AUDIO Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey describes how the shooting began 360K/17 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Washington Mayor Anthony Williams says the nation needs tougher gun safety laws 584K/27 sec. AIFF or WAV sound National Zoo chief of public affairs Bob Hoague comments Tuesday morning on the shooting 697K/32 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

Jones was arrested Tuesday at his grandmother's home in northeast Washington, 24 hours after the gunfire interrupted an annual black families day celebration at the zoo.

Police still are searching for a motive for the shootings. Asked whether the incident was gang-related, Police Chief Charles Ramsey replied, "Obviously we still are pursuing that possibility. But to say it right now and confirm it would be premature."

Police said they found Jones hiding behind a heater in the basement of his grandmother's residence. They recovered a shotgun from the house, but have said the weapon used in the shootings was most likely a 9 mm handgun.

Police said additional charges are likely against Jones.

Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office said two witnesses had identified Jones from a photograph, saying they had seen the youth hold a gun alongside his leg and display it to the crowd before opening fire.

Renee Raymond, a public defender representing Jones, said he is innocent. "There is no physical or scientific evidence that corroborates the witnesses," she said.

Court Commissioner Ronald Goodbread said the two witnesses saw Jones on a clear and sunny afternoon, making it unlikely that there could be any confusion about his identity.

He said there was "sufficient and probable cause" to keep Jones under arrest.

Shocked visitors at the National Zoo after the shooting on Monday

"This 16-year-old acted alone out of anger," said Terrance W. Gainer, the Metropolitan Police Department's executive assistant police chief.

Police say Jones is the son of 44-year-old James Antonio Jones, who once was an enforcer for the Rayful Edmond drug ring. Officials said it used to be the largest drug enterprise in the city's history, bringing as much as 1,700 pounds of cocaine into Washington a month. The elder Jones was sentenced to 29 years in prison after a 1990 drug conspiracy conviction.

Ramsey told CNN that the shooting was the culmination of a series of run-ins between two groups of youths.

"These groups have been in conflict for a good part of the afternoon, going at one another. But it wasn't until they were put out of the zoo and they were standing on Connecticut Avenue, one group on the west side of the street, one on the east side, that they started throwing bottles back and forth, and then someone pulled a gun and then began firing at the crowd," said Ramsey.

The 111-year-old zoo, which reopened early on Wednesday, is part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex. As a flag fluttered at half-staff, the pathways and displays were crowded on Wednesday.

By midday, parents and children were everywhere. The zoo has about a dozen security officers on duty -- the same number as always.

The zoo is one of the Washington area's most popular tourist attractions, with about 3 million visitors a year.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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National Zoo, Washington, D.C.
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