Suspect Claims Accidental Shooting After Killing Two Following Poker Home Game
Two people were found dead earlier this month following an all-night poker game at a Wisconsin home, and the suspect who dialed 911 to report the incident claims he mistakenly shot the victims.
Donovan Jones, a 35-year-old from Milwaukee, has been charged with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide. He posted a $35,000 bond on Oct. 27, court records indicate, and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Friday in a Milwaukee County court.
Did Poker Player Act Out of Fear?
Jones, who finished 11th in a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) event in 2020, called 911 in the morning hours of Oct. 18 after having played poker, by his account, since 7 p.m. the night before.
Police arrived at the scene where they discovered two unresponsive shooting victims — Dwayne Carter, 33, in the basement, and Shaquill Madison, 43, in front of the home. Jones, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Milwaukee's Fox 6 News and CBS 58, told police he thought he killed his friend.
The suspect said that Madison and Carter had told him that an unidentified person wearing a black ski mask was entering the home, so he ran downstairs and hid underneath the stairs, while Carter hid elsewhere. He then stated that he heard someone from upstairs begin running towards the stairs. When the supposed intruder approached the staircase, Jones claims he opened fire, but "couldn't see what or who he was shooting at."
It's unclear how Madison, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital, ended up outside the home and where he was shot. Madison was found with $8,330 in cash and a 9mm handgun inside a backpack. Police discovered Carter in possession of $5,230 in cash and found two 9mm handguns on the basement floor.
Two witnesses were interviewed by police following the shooting. One witness claims to have arrived at the home around 3 a.m. where 10 people were playing poker. She said Jones, Carter, and Madison, along with the other witness, were the only ones who stuck around to clean up following the game.
A masked man, she said, entered the home with "an AK-47" and pointed it into the room before leaving. She then ran into the basement and spotted Jones before hearing a gunshot, but is unsure of who had fired the weapon. The witness said she then ran out of the basement and saw Carter on the bathroom floor.
The second witness, a dealer in the game, said he saw Madison stumble to the ground in front of the house. Police obtained video footage from outside the home that shows a "heavy-set man" in a black ski mask carrying a rifle in and out of the home within a few seconds. Madison is then seen stumbling to the ground, and the uninvited guest took off running down the street.
Police say all bullet casings recovered from the crime scene match Jones's gun. Jones has obtained the services of criminal defense attorney Quron Payne with Payne Legal Advocacy Group, LLC.
