A man wanted in a Smyrna homicide died Monday in Arizona as local police officers attempted to take him into custody, authorities said.
A task force composed of Tucson-area law enforcement agencies is investigating the in-custody death of Terrill Anton Jones, who was wanted by Smyrna police in the May 16 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Michael Ezzard Jr. Ezzard’s killing was captured on surveillance footage recorded at a shopping center on Roswell Street.
Jones died Monday during an encounter with police in South Tucson, about seven miles north of Tucson International Airport. According to Smyrna police, officers with the South Tucson Police Department were attempting to take him into custody.
Witnesses told Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA the man was darting into traffic and behaving erratically before officers stunned him with a Taser. The Oro Valley Police Department, which is investigating the death as a member of the multiagency task force, said Jones became unresponsive after being placed in handcuffs, the Tucson Sentinel reported.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of officers and emergency medics who performed CPR. With his death, Smyrna police consider their homicide case closed, according to a news release.
Surveillance footage released after the Smyrna shooting showed Ezzard talking with two people while standing outside a store in the Five Points Shopping Center. A gunman is then seen running up to the victim from behind. He appeared to point the gun at Ezzard’s head and wrestle him to the ground before shooting.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Investigators initially released photos of two suspects, the gunman and a getaway driver, but a Smyrna police spokesman said the investigation was eventually focused solely on Jones. A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, as well as possessing a gun as a felon and during the commission of a felony.
No motive was released in Ezzard’s death.
At the time of the May killing, Jones had been out of prison for less than a year. He had prior convictions for marijuana and cocaine distribution, along with crossing guard lines with weapons or drugs and having items prohibited for inmates, and served two stints in prison, Georgia prison records show.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
