Man charged in friend's fatal shooting in New Albany
Mar. 5—NEW ALBANY — A New Albany man has been charged after an incident this week that led to the fatal shooting of a friend.
Isaiah D. Jones, 23, faces a level 6 felony for criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony for maintaining a common nuisance, and a class B misdemeanor for possession of marijuana related to the death of Zechariah Stites, 23, at Jones' residence on Wayne Street in New Albany.
Court records show that around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jones called 911 to report the shooting and said during the call "Why did he grab the gun?" When police arrived, they found Jones, and two others outside spoke with them. Stites was found dead inside the home.
Jones was separately taken to the Floyd County Sheriff's Department for his statement. He told police that he, Stites and another friend had been working on a car at the home and had also been drinking and smoking marijuana. He said at one point, the three were in the dining room, "playing with their guns," court records show; Jones has a Glock 43 9mm and Stites had a Springfield Hellcat 9mm.
Jones said they were joking around and being rough with each other, and that Jones had been holding his weapon when Stites grabbed it while also grabbing Jones' hand. The gun fired, hitting Stites in the head.
The case is being handled in Floyd County Superior Court No. 3; an initial hearing has not yet been set.
