On the evening of June 12, 2024, in Yokuts Valley, California, 49-year-old Burton Dale Jones Jr. was fatally shot at a property on Squaw Valley Road. Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call around 9:30 p.m. and found Jones with a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene despite medical aid.

The property owner, 56-year-old Jerry Beggs, was present when deputies arrived and was later determined by investigators to be responsible for the shooting. Beggs was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail; charges were pending review by the District Attorney’s Office. Detectives say Jones and Beggs were longtime friends who had a disturbance earlier in the week that culminated in the fatal confrontation, though the exact nature of their dispute has not been disclosed and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the events leading up to the shooting is asked to contact the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.