32-year-old man arrested in connection with Janesville's first homicide since 2014

JANESVILLE -- Janesville police have made an arrest in connection with the first homicide in the city since 2014.

It happened Sunday morning, May 28th just before 12:30 a.m.

Police found a man in a house near Franklin and Court who had been shot in the face and neck. He was pronounced dead at a Janesville hospital. The Rock County medical examiner identified the victim as 28-year-old Eddie Lee Jones of Markham, Illinois, and said he died as a result of "homicidal firearm trauma."

Police said the homicide appears to have started as a verbal altercation between the suspect and the victim. During the argument, the suspect produced a handgun and shot the victim. The suspect fled the scene after shooting the victim.

During a news conference on Monday, police said the victim did have drugs on him when he was shot, so this incident could have been drug-related.

Police said the gun that was used has not been recovered.

The investigation continued Sunday, and several witnesses identified the shooter as a 32-year-old man from Beloit.

Officers on Sunday located a vehicle driven by the suspect in this case on the city's west side, and around 9:15 p.m., a high risk traffic stop was conducted on the suspect vehicle on Rockport Road, just west of Afton Road.

The suspect was the sole occupant of the vehicle, and he was taken into custody without incident on charges of first degree intentional homicide and possession of a firearm by a felon.

He has not yet been formally charged.