‘I kind of feel cheated’: Dad emotional after murder suspect killed in police chase

A day after a father found out that the suspect in his son’s death was killed after a Columbus police chase, Dudley Jones Sr. expressed empathy for the man’s family.

“I really hate that it happened,” Jones said. “Now there is another family out there going through the same thing I’m going through. I hate that. I really do.”

Jones said his daughter told him Thursday afternoon that 22-year-old Deonte Giles was killed after a chase near Cusseta Road. The incident happened about two weeks after officials told him that Giles was a suspect in the shooting death of his 44-year-old son, Dudley Jones Jr.

“I kind of feel cheated,” Jones said. “I was looking forward to going to court and just listening to what the man had to say on what happened and how it happened. ... Now, more than likely, I’ll never know.”

The police chase

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren said the officer-involved incident started at Farley Homes, a public housing complex on Nina Street.

Authorities were called to the area to talk with a woman who said Giles pointed a gun at her. Police said they spotted him on the scene but he fled in a vehicle.

Authorities were pursuing Giles when he allegedly sideswiped a car on Nina Street and struck a woman on Shepherd Drive. She was treated at the hospital and released.

Officers in two marked vehicles passed the suspect as he was driving along on Cusseta Road in a 2017 Ford Fusion. There was a passenger in the car.

“The suspect vehicle turned into the side of the first patrol vehicle, causing him to lose control and strike a telephone pole,” Boren said. “The suspect vehicle then came a very short distance pass that. He lost control and hit a wired fence.”

Police said Giles exited the vehicle and pointed a weapon at the officer in the second marked car. The second suspect, who was also armed, then exited the vehicle, Boren said.

“A second blue and white who was responding saw that individual with that gun and ran over the individual that had the weapon to eliminate the threat,” Boren said. “We have an individual on the scene who is deceased as a result of that incident, being struck with a patrol car.”

The other suspect, whose name has yet to be released, was arrested after a foot chase. Officials seized weapons on the scene. The case is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The names of the officers involved have yet to be released. The officer who was injured in the wreck has been treated and released.

‘I put it all in God’s hands’

Jones said he doesn’t believe that true justice can ever be served, because no one can bring his son back.

He said he is still struggling with the pain of losing his son, who had two children, ages 15 and 17. He said it’s his faith in God that has helped him deal with his son’s death.

“I put it all in God’s hands and left it there,” Jones said. “He’s been taking care of me. I feel bad every once and awhile, but God’s right there with me.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 4:35 PM with the headline "‘I kind of feel cheated’: Dad emotional after murder suspect killed in police chase."