Kwame Jones was 17 and from Jacksonville, Florida. He was fatally shot on January 5, 2020, in a police-involved shooting after a vehicle suspected of being stolen fled at high speed and crashed into a concrete pole. Officer Nicholas Lawson of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had attempted the stop. As Lawson approached the crashed vehicle, one of the other occupants, identified as Joseph Carter, allegedly pointed a rifle at the officer; Lawson then fired. Jones was unarmed and seated in the front passenger seat when he was killed.

The State Attorney’s Office later ruled the shooting justified under transferred intent, reasoning that an officer’s lethal response would be lawful if aimed at someone who threatened him with a firearm and that justification extends to an unintended bystander who is killed. Jones’ family has publicly questioned the official account, raising concerns about notification and the handling of evidence, including disputing that a rifle recovered at the scene belonged to the vehicle.

If anyone witnessed the traffic stop or the crash, or has information about what happened that night, please share what is known.