Princeton Nicholas Jones was a 9-year-old boy described by his family as bright, loving and full of humor. Diagnosed with mild autism at age two, he began speaking fluently by five with his mother Creole Green’s support and was learning skills to help him live independently.

On the evening of November 30, 2024, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found Princeton in the backyard of his grandfather’s home near Haskins Avenue in Compton, California, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation focused on his biological father, 32-year-old Nicholas Thomas Jones, who was arrested December 1, 2024, on suspicion of murder and child abuse resulting in death. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged him with one count of murder and one count of willful cruelty to a child, with sentence enhancements for a firearm and harm resulting in death; at arraignment he pleaded not guilty and was held on $2 million bail.

Princeton’s mother spoke publicly in the days after the killing, expressing devastation and confusion about what happened. If anyone has information about Princeton, the location near Haskins Avenue in Compton, or that evening, please share what you know.