Victorville Man Faces Assault, Firearm Charges in Connection With Pasadena Shooting

A Victorville man pleaded not guilty to criminal charges Monday stemming from a shooting in Pasadena late last month that left another man hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his neck, authorities said.

Robert Murray Jones III, 20, denied charges of assault with a deadly weapon and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence during his appearance in the Pasadena branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to Pasadena Police Department Officials and court records.

He was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting, which took place on the night of July 29, police said in a written statement. While he admitted shooting the victim, he claimed it had been an accident.

Police responded to the area of St. John Avenue and California Boulevard, near Huntington Hospital, after witnesses reported a man in the neighborhood yelling he had been shot.

“While officers were searching the area, Huntington Memorial Hospital contacted the PPD regarding an adult male victim who had arrived at the emergency room, suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck,” according to the statement.

The victim, an 18-year-old Pasadena man, was initially hospitalized in critical condition, officials said. After undergoing surgeries, he was expected to make a full recovery.

The badly injured man was not initially able to provide officers with a statement, due to his medical condition.

But as the investigation continued, detectives determined the shooting had taken place in the 1900 block of Mentone Avenue just minutes before the victim was dropped off near the hospital, police said.

Police arrested Jones while carrying out a search warrant in Victorville on Thursday.

He was described as an acquaintance of the victim.

“Jones admitted to shooting the victim, claiming it was an accident,” according to the police statement.

Bail for Jones was set at $235,000 pending legal proceedings, L.A. County booking records show. He was scheduled to return to court Sept. 7 for a preliminary hearing setting.

Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to contact Pasadena police at (626) 744-4501. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

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