A Wake County judge denied bond Tuesday for Jayshawn Jones, 19, who is accused of shooting his 14-year-old sister inside their North Raleigh apartment. CBS 17 reported that Jones faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm within city limits. The girl remains hospitalized and is expected to recover.
The prosecution's account presented in court differed from the siblings' initial explanation of the shooting. According to CBS 17, investigators were first told that the girl had been shot during gunfire involving a vehicle outside the apartment. An assistant district attorney later told the judge that account changed and that the siblings said Jones had accidentally fired the handgun inside the apartment.
What court records allege
Court records cited in the CBS 17 report allege that Jones picked up a handgun from a bed and manipulated it before it discharged. A relative described the shooting as accidental. The accidental nature of a discharge does not by itself resolve the felony allegation; the charge concerns the circumstances surrounding the weapon's handling and the resulting injury.
Jones also has a separate gun-related case from an August 13 traffic stop. That case involves a charge of carrying a concealed gun without an operator's license and is scheduled for an October 1 court date. A hearing on the latest charges is set for October 6, according to CBS 17.
Why the judge denied release
Judge Rashad Hauter denied bond under Iryna's Law, formally House Bill 307. The law took effect Dec. 1, 2025, and establishes a rebuttable presumption against pretrial release for defendants charged with certain violent offenses. The North Carolina Criminal Law Blog at the UNC School of Government says the law also requires judicial officials to consider a defendant's criminal history and housing situation when setting release conditions. In cases covered by the presumption, the defense must present grounds for release, and a judge who authorizes release must explain the decision in writing.
During his first appearance, Jones asked to speak and accepted a court-appointed lawyer. Hauter advised him to wait until he had met with counsel before making statements, according to CBS 17.
