A 15-year-old girl who fatally shot a teenage boy in the face in Marion Oaks with a gun she thought was unloaded has been arrested and charged with manslaughter nearly a month after the shooting.
On Thursday, November 21, Marion County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Jada Spence for her alleged involvement in a shooting incident that claimed the life of 14-year-old Marshaun Jones.
On Wednesday, October 23, at approximately 6 p.m., MCSO deputies responded to a residence in the Marion Oaks subdivision following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found a teenager, later identified as Jones, who was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
According to MCSO, detectives launched an investigation, which revealed that Spence, Jones, and four other teens had gathered at the home to “hang out and smoke marijuana.”
Witnesses told detectives that they heard a gunshot, followed by Spence exclaiming that she “didn’t know it was loaded.” The sheriff’s office stated that security footage was obtained during the investigation that corroborated these statements.
While speaking with investigators, Spence initially denied shooting Jones, claiming that the gun involved in the incident had accidentally fired when “someone dropped it.”
However, during a follow-up interview, MCSO stated that Spence admitted to hearing Jones pull the trigger of the gun, which led her to believe that the firearm was unloaded. She then allegedly admitted to grabbing the firearm, pointing it at Jones’ face, and pulling the trigger.
Following her arrest on Thursday, Spence was charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child.