#72: Man shot his long-time friend during a card game dispute while on bail for a felony, prosecutors say

A Chicago man was accused this week of repeatedly shooting a friend in September 2021 after losing money to the victim in a card game. Dion Jones, 42, had a felony case pending at the time and skipped bail the next month. The US Marshals fugitive tracked him down on May 24.

Jones is the 72nd person accused of killing or shooting — or trying to shoot or kill — someone in Chicago last year while awaiting trial for a felony.

On September 1, 2021, Jones and a friend of 20 years got together to play cards with two mutual acquaintances in the 4100 block of West 5th Avenue, authorities said.

The long-time friend accused Jones of cheating at one point. Then Jones and one of the other players ran out of cash and went to an ATM to get more money.

Jones continued to lose. At some point, his friend reached in to grab the money. As he did, Jones stepped behind the 41-year-old man and pulled out a gun, Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Kelly said.

The victim reportedly raised his hands and asked Jones what he was doing. Jones began shooting at him from about two feet away, striking him twice in the chest, Kelly said. Jones kept shooting at the man as the victim ran out of the house, Kelly continued.

One of the other card players caught up with the victim and drove him to get help. He was treated at Loyola University Medical Center for gunshot wounds to his chest, shoulder and back as well as graze wounds to his chest and arm, Kelly said.

All three of the people who played cards with Jones that night identified him as the shooter, according to Kelly.

Judge Kelly McCarthy granted the state’s request to hold Jones without bail.

She also ordered him held without bail on an outstanding warrant for a pending felony case that Jones stopped appearing in court for in October 2021 — one month after the alleged shooting. In that matter, he is accused of driving on a revoked or suspended license for at least the 4th time since he lost driving privileges in a 2014 felony DUI case, according to court records.

He has previous felony convictions for manufacture-delivery of cannabis in 1999, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2002, and resisting in 2008, Kelly said.

Jones’ public defender, Suzin Farber, said the allegations center on “a long evening involving playing poker.” She argued against holding Jones without bail, saying the allegations contradict his background, which includes no violent crime convictions. She said he has two daughters, ages 14 and 2-years.

The “not horrible” series

This report continues our coverage of individuals who have been accused of murder, attempted murder, or shooting firearms toward people while on bond for a pending felony case. CWBChicago began our series of reports in November 2019 after Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans publicly stated, “we haven’t had any horrible incidents occur” under the court’s bond reform initiative.

The actual number of murders and shootings committed by people on felony bail is undoubtedly much higher than the numbers seen here. Since 2017, CPD has made arrests in less than 5% of non-fatal shootings and 33% of murders, according to the city’s data. You can support CWBChicago’s work by becoming a subscriber today.

The “not horrible” series

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