Lawan Jones Jr., 18, was taken in by Keith Poole to live with him and his three children in Pompano Beach, Fla. after his parents died, a family friend tells CBS.
At the time, Jones was in a relationship with Poole’s 17-year-old daughter, Jessie. While seemingly having everything – a family that adopted him as their own and a loving girlfriend – things took a turn for the worst.
Police say on the evening of Aug. 19, confronted Jones about a series of social media posts he deemed inappropriate. Police said the photos in question were of the young man posing with a firearm, several of which were found on his Facebook page. The confrontation escalated into a heated argument in which Poole threatened to kick Jones out from the home, per the police.
The young man allegedly threatened to have his friends come over to “take care of the situation,” witnesses told police. When Poole asked the Jones once again to leave, that’s when the teen allegedly grabbed a handgun near the front door and fired at Poole, per CBS12. The report says Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded to the scene and found Poole bleeding out from multiple gunshot wounds to the face and chest. He was rushed to Broward Health North where he died..
Police said the shooting occurred in front of Poole’s daughter and other two children. However, Jones fled from the scene with Poole’s daughter and disappeared for three days.
According to police, he finally turned himself into the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 22. He was booked on premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm, according to jail records. Poole’s daughter was located safely, police said. Friends and family flooded social media with tributes to Poole remembering him as a dedicated father, friend and music artist.
“This man had the power to break boundaries. He didn’t care about your skin color, your status, your past, your background… he would treat you with respect and show you his generosity either way,” one friend wrote on Facebook.