A 41-year-old Wisconsin man has been accused of fatally shooting the mother of his four children, allegedly taunting her for infidelity before leaving her body for the children to discover.
Tavarris Jones was taken into custody and charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide, with additional modifiers for domestic abuse inflicting physical injury and use of a dangerous weapon, according to court records.
Based on a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Milwaukee Police Department responded to a residence in the 5800 block of North 77th Street at 2:38 a.m. on October 10, following a reported shooting.
The 911 caller stated, “My momma got shot,” and informed the dispatcher that there was “blood on her mother’s nose and body.”
“She went on to state she heard two gunshots and that her mother was not breathing and was warm to the touch,” police wrote. “The caller said that it was serious bleeding from her nose and was running down her chest and onto the couch.”
The same child answered the door upon the arrival of first responders. Inside the residence, officers discovered the child’s mother, who appeared to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim’s daughter told investigators she had been asleep when she was awakened by what sounded like gunshots originating from within the home.
“Initially, the child was too scared to leave the bedroom, but eventually went to check on her mother,” the affidavit states. “She located her mother and thought she was deceased due to seeing a large amount of blood on her and the fact she could not awaken her.”
The medical examiner determined that the victim had sustained gunshot wounds to the right side of her head, her left temple, and the left side of her neck. Two brass shell casings were recovered near the body.
Speaking with police at the scene, the child allegedly stated that her mother’s live-in boyfriend, whom she identified as Jones, had been present at the house along with the father of another child, and that both men had departed around 1:50 a.m. She also provided footage of the two men leaving the premises, according to the affidavit.
The child subsequently spoke with investigators at the police station, clarifying that Jones was not her biological father but was the father of her four younger siblings.
The child stated that on the night her mother was killed, the victim had gone on a date “with a man who was not Jones.” The child had not heard her mother return home from the date, as she had been asleep. Upon waking, her younger sister allegedly informed her that Jones had been at the house and had instructed the younger sister to remain in her room. Police confirmed that the younger sister was nine years old.
“The child initially thought her mom just had a nose bleed when she saw her, but quickly realized it was not as she was tapping on her to get her to respond,” the affidavit states. “She noticed her mom was not breathing.”
While the child confirmed to police that Jones resided in the household with her, her mother, and her siblings, she noted that her mother had recently revoked Jones’s house keys.
The nine-year-old told police she had been in bed when she observed her father removing the air conditioner from the window, leaving it “all the way open.” She then allegedly witnessed the shooting through a camera installed inside the home. From the affidavit:
“She said she saw Jones shoot her mother. Jones said ‘that’s what you get for cheating on me…you not gonna cheat on me no more cus you dead.’ After that, Jones left. She clarified that the person who shot her mom was her dad. She did say she does not know her dad’s name, she just calls him ‘dad.'”
Jones is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a $500,000 bond, according to records. He is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on December 17.
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