D’Ante Jones allegedly raised his arms in “jubilant celebration” like he performed a game-winning play after shooting his colleague outside a Chattanooga Amazon facility, Hamilton County prosecutor Paul Moyle argued.
“Was he promoted? Did he receive a raise?” Moyle said during opening statements Tuesday. “Did he set some sort of company record for efficiency?”
The celebration was because Jones allegedly shot a 19-year-old man in his left eye and lodged a bullet in his brain, Moyle said.
Jones, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 9, 2023, shooting of JaVontae Moon.
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Man’s murder trial begins in connection with Chattanooga Amazon fulfillment center shooting
He faced his first day of trial Tuesday in front of Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn. It is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Jones and Moon had gotten into a dispute over a girl, Moyle said.
They were working an overnight shift together at the Amazon location on Discovery Drive.
Jones allegedly clocked out of his Amazon shift and ordered a car from the ride-hailing service, Lyft, to take him home.
He grabbed his pistol and was dropped back off at the facility at about 3 a.m, Moyle said.
Jones allegedly waited out front about 90 minutes for a shift change, positioning himself near where Moon exited the building, Moyle argued.
He then shot at close range.
Moyle told jurors they wouldn’t have to take his word for it — they can watch the shooting for themselves, he said while pointing to a projector.
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Jones’ defense attorney, Alex Shoaf, argued this case is not about Jones’ actions. It’s about his mind.
Shoaf painted a scene of Jones as a 13-year-old boy, as he crouched behind a podium in the courtroom.
Jones was leaving a high school graduation one day when suddenly he was shielding himself behind the side of a car, Shoaf argued.
Bullets were being sprayed.
When it is finally quiet, Jones saw one woman dead, he said. His sister was alive, clutching her bloody leg.
Police took him into custody as a young teenage victim but later released him.
An alarm went off in Jones’ head that day, Shoaf said. This was not a drill.
Jones was a detached and different person five years later in August 2023, Shoaf argued.
When Moon allegedly threatened to kill Jones over their dispute, it happened again, he said.
“The alarm was pulled for D’Ante Jones,” Shoaf said. “It was not a drill.”
Two experts are expected to be introduced during this trial, and one of them will testify about Jones having post-traumatic stress disorder, Shoaf said.
“He could not exercise judgment, and he did not premeditate,” he said.
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The state went on to call several witnesses Tuesday.
One Amazon fulfillment center employee testified he witnessed the shooting and pointed to Jones to identify him as the shooter.
A male Lyft driver, who asked not to be identified, testified about driving a man from the Amazon facility to a home back to the facility shortly before the shooting.
On the way back, the man explained that he went to get a gun for protection because he had a confrontation with someone at work, the driver testified.
“I was privy to the information that he had a gun in my car,” the driver said. “I wasn’t aware that a murder was going to take place.”
The driver testified Tuesday he continued giving rides for a short while until he saw news about the shooting on social media.
He put two and two together and called police, the driver said.
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A recorded interview of Jones being interviewed by a Chattanooga investigator was then played to jurors.
In the footage, Jones said he shot Moon, fled from police, disposed of the firearm and changed his clothes.
“I snapped the moment he [Moon] said he was going to kill me,” Jones said.
“Where did you shoot him?” the detective asked.
“In his face,” Jones answered.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.