An 18-year-old Ocala man was arrested for allegedly battering a woman and firing a gun during a violent domestic altercation Saturday at the Sutton Place Apartments.
Mikel Tyriq Jones was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault (dating violence), and battery (dating violence). He’s being held without bond in the Marion County Jail.
An Ocala Police officer responded to the apartment complex, located at 551 NE 23rd Circle, to investigate the report of a single shot being fired. The victim said there was an argument between her and Jones, her ex-boyfriend, and he had hit and strangled her, then fired a shot into her apartment, according to the OPD report.
The victim said Jones barged into her bedroom and woke her up. She said she told him to leave and he called her a name. The victim said she told Jones, “See, that is why I don’t want you here. You are disrespectful,” and he began hitting her. She said three female witnesses then began trying to pull Jones off her and she was able to get out of the room, the report said.
The victim said once she was away from Jones, she opened the door to walk outside, but Jones grabbed her hair and kept her from leaving the apartment. She said Jones told her to “stop trying to cause a scene.” The victim said she again told Jones to leave, and he then began to choke her. After being again being separated by the witnesses, the victim had an anxiety attack. She said Jones then reappeared with a “long gun,” placed it to her head and said, “Next time you are going to die,” according to the report.
The victim said as Jones was leaving the apartment, he turned towards the bedroom and fired one shot. She didn’t know what direction he went or how he was traveling. She described the “long gun” as being a black firearm that folds three times, the report said.
Witness accounts matched the victim’s story. The victim said she and Jones dated for about a month, and that they had recently broken up after Jones was arrested in May on an auto theft charge, according to the report.
Jones was located and apprehended Tuesday at Berkeley Pointe Apartments, 2855 NE Seventh St. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 6.