Photo credit: www.yahoo.com
Gwinnett County Man Not Prosecuted for Gun Incident Affecting Neighbor
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office has opted not to prosecute a man involved in a serious incident where he shot through his apartment door, injuring an unarmed woman who had requested he lower his music volume.
In an emotional interview, Jalyne Evans-Jones expressed her frustration over the incident, stating, “I did nothing to deserve this. It’s just so frustrating because it’s like they won’t even believe us.”
Evans-Jones sustained serious injuries, including damage to her wrist and abdomen, when Alejandro Querales-Morales fired a single shot at her through the door of his residence at Veranda Chase Apartments in Lawrenceville in August 2023. This event allegedly occurred after she and her husband approached his apartment around 10 p.m. to discuss the loud music coming from his unit, which was in violation of the complex’s quiet hours.
“We knocked on the apartment door politely to ask them to lower the music because it was after the apartment’s quiet hours,” remarked Eric Jones, Evans-Jones’ husband. “We were thinking we were being neighborly, only to be met with a bullet being discharged behind a closed door.”
Querales-Morales claimed he believed he saw a gun through his peephole, prompting him to fire in self-defense. Reports indicate that he had consumed “approximately seven beers” earlier that day prior to the shooting.
A witness from a nearby apartment reported seeing Eric Jones holding a gun along with his phone after the gunshot occurred. Jones contended that he had returned to his apartment to retrieve both his keys and his firearm only after his wife was shot.
“If I had a gun at that particular time, why would I not then turn around and discharge my firearm?” he questioned. “There was no evidence that they could produce that would put a gun in my hand prior to that shooting occurring.”
Initially, Querales-Morales faced misdemeanor charges for reckless conduct, but the Gwinnett County Solicitor’s Office later recommended elevating the charge to aggravated battery.
In a September 2023 memorandum, the Solicitor’s Office pointed out that Querales-Morales had “fired a firearm through a door knowing that victim was standing directly outside of doorway.” Despite this, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges in January 2025, citing self-defense as the rationale.
Evans-Jones expressed her disappointment, stating, “There should be some accountability. To not receive any kind of justice is hard.”
Eric Jones remains resolute in his pursuit of justice for his wife. He is advocating for three specific measures: an appeal to the District Attorney’s Office to reconsider the charges based on existing evidence, an independent review of the incident, and legislative efforts to clarify the standards for self-defense claims in similar cases.
“I’m going to continue to advocate and fight for justice for my wife, which she rightfully deserves, if it takes the last breath,” he affirmed.
Source
www.yahoo.com