Racine teen held on $100,000 bond for attempted homicide

RACINE – A Racine teen stands accused of attempted homicide after allegedly shooting another boy over a disagreement of his allegiance to a gang.

Jonathan Jones, 15, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, armed burglary, and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent.

During an initial appearance on Tuesday, Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set a cash bond of $100,000 for the Racine teen.

If convicted of all three counts, Jones faces up to 90 years in prison and/or fines up to $75,000.

Jones, who is being tried as an adult, became an adjudicated delinquent in January. He has several pending charges in a separate juvenile case, including:

• Second-degree recklessly endangering safety
• Misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18
• Injury by neglect, use of a weapon/explosive
• Physical abuse of a child – recklessly causing bodily harm

According to the criminal complaint, offices with the Racine Police Department reported to a residence at 2511 Taylor Avenue for a report of shots fired at 5:27 p.m. Sunday.

When police arrived, they found a boy had been shot. Witnesses told police that Jones, who went by the name of Bam Bam, and the boy argued about him not being “real Dirty P gang members.’ The witness said Jones threatened to “deal” with the boy.

An hour later, the witness heard footsteps. A person entered the bedroom wearing all black clothing, a beanie, and a mask. Police later identified the person as Jones. Standing in the doorway, Jones shouted the boy’s name. He then shot the boy as he walked towards him.

The witness reported that Jones fled the scene.

Other witnesses inside the home told police they were in the living room when they heard a shot fired upstairs while they were in the living room. They also reported seeing two males running down the driveway.

Rescue personnel with the Racine Fire Department transported the boy to the hospital. Once there, the Ascension-All Saints Hospital emergency room department staff said the boy had a bullet in his chest cavity behind his ribs.

Investigators learned that Jones wore a GPS ankle monitor, which showed he was at the residence between 5:22 and 5:26 p.m. They also found a black ski mask under the bed.

“Jones provided five different stories about where he was on February 7, 2021,” the complaint read. “At first, Jones said that he went with his brother to a residence and his brother went inside and shot a firearm. Then, Jones changed his story, saying that both he and his brother were inside 2511 Taylor Avenue and there was a dispute with a person named ‘D’ Jones said that both he and his brother handled a small black firearm.”

Rudebusch set a preliminary hearing for the attempted homicide and order that the Racine teen appear at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 17.