17-year-old charged with murder of Milwaukee Lutheran senior Donell Jones

Yahoo

08-05-2025

A 17-year-old Milwaukee boy has been charged with felony murder-attempted armed robbery, accused of shooting and killing Donell Jones, also 17.
Joseph A. Prado was charged last week by prosecutors in connection to the Easter Sunday killing of Jones, who was set to graduate from Milwaukee Lutheran High School later this month.
Prado told detectives that he and another person attempted to rob Jones as he left a party on Milwaukee's north side when Prado fired off multiple shots, according to a criminal complaint.
Milwaukee police responded April 20 shortly after 3 a.m. to the 3400 block of North 23rd Street, where they found Jones with a gunshot wound to the head and a gun laying beside him, the complaint said.
Another victim, who was shot in the foot, told police that a party had just ended in the 3500 block of North 23rd Street and people were leaving when shots rang out.
Police said they recovered 15 casings in the neighborhood. The casings were shot from four different guns, including the gun found next to Jones, according to the complaint.
A witness at the scene told police he observed a man wearing white produce a gun and point it at someone before shots rang out, the complaint said. Prosecutors describe a shootout, captured in-part on nearby home surveillance cameras, between Jones and two people, with one of those people wearing a white hooded sweatshirt.
On April 26, police were responding to an unrelated north side home when they observed Prado flee out the rear of the residence before being stopped by officers, the complaint said.
Officers received permission to search the home by a resident, prosecutors said, when they found a "ghost gun" belonging to Prado that matched five of the casings found at the scene following forensic analysis, according to the complaint.
During his interview with a detective, Prado said he was the person wearing a white hooded sweatshirt in the video and showed the detective a photo from his phone of him wearing the same thing while posing with firearms, the complaint said.
Prado said after the party let out, his friend, only identified as "ManMan" in the complaint, observed a person with whom he had a prior disagreement with, according to the complaint. Prado said the person ran away with his friends but he and ManMan caught one person and attempted to rob them of all their property and clothing, the complaint said.
Prado said he then heard someone shoot, and that is when he fired off several shots in response, according to the complaint. Prosecutors note in the complaint that Prado's description of events was consistent with video.
When asked May 7 if Milwaukee police have made additional arrests, the department said it had no updates to share.
Prado has been charged with three counts: felony murder-attempted armed robbery, attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent. He faces decades behind bars. He does not yet have a permanent attorney.
Jones' mother says 'there's no winners' now that charges have been filed
Jones' mother, Tawanda Staten, told the Journal Sentinel May 7 that her family was relieved an arrest was made and charges have been filed, but described it as a no-win situation.
"I'm happy that my child's case is not a cold case and that they did find the person that took his life," she said. "And I pray for his family also, because there's no winners in this situation."
Family, classmates and teammates gathered a vigil for Jones last month.
The Milwaukee Lutheran senior, who enjoyed time with friends and video games, was planning on attending Northern Illinois University in the fall, where he planned to study medical science and was considering trying out for the football team, his mother said.
Donell Jones, a senior at Milwaukee Lutheran High School, was shot and killed on Easter at about 3:09 a.m. He planned to go to Northern Illinois University and study medical science.
"I couldn't ask of God for a better child," Staten said at the time. "I could sit here and go down the list with words, but he was just awesome, amazing."
Jones' death was the 30th reported homicide this year in Milwaukee. According to police, as of May 6, the city has seen 42 homicides this year, which is an uptick from 2024, when 32 homicides had occurred at this point in the year.
May 9 will be an emotional day for family and friends of Jones as he will be laid to rest. "It's hard pill to swallow," Staten said.
"But we want justice; we'll be at every court date."
David Clarey contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 17-year-old charged with murder of Milwaukee Lutheran senior