Holly MatkinDetroit, MI – Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Corrections Officer Devante Jones was murdered in an off-duty shooting early Monday morning.
The 23-year-old corrections officer came under fire as he was dropping someone off near Chrysler Service Drive and East Forest, Deadline Detroit reported.
Corrections Officer Jones jumped out of his vehicle to try to avoid being hit, but was shot multiple times in the process, police said.
He was rushed to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds at approximately 4:48 a.m., WDIV reported.
Additional details have not been released.
The shooter remains at large.
The Detroit Police Department (DPD) homicide unit’s investigation into Corrections Officer Jones’ murder remains ongoing.
“We offer our condolences and prayers to the family who have lost their loved one in the most tragic way,” Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington said in a statement to Deadline Detroit. “This resonates with all of us on the job. We’re going to do all we can find out what happened.”
Corrections Officer Jones began serving the WCSO Jail Division One in 2019.
The father-of-one has a new baby due in November, Deadline Detroit reported.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Wayne County Undersheriff Mike Jaafar said on Monday, according to The Detroit News.
Undersheriff Jaafar said police are “pretty confident we’re going to get the shooter,” WJBK reported.
WCSO Captain Reid Chakrabarty said he trained Corrections Officer Jones, according to The Detroit News.
Capt. Chakrabarty said the young corrections officer was dependable and always willing to work overtime shifts – traits his supervisors especially appreciated due to the agency’s current staffing shortage.
BREAKING- The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of 23-year-old Devante Jones.
The off-duty corrections officer was shot and killed this morning while dropping off a friend in Detroit. @detroitpolice homicide task force is investigating this tragic loss.
— Alicia Smith (@wxyzalicia) September 20, 2021
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer Devante Jones, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.
