Jamar Jones

Jamar Darryll Jones, a 24-year-old aspiring musician and father of three, was known for a smile that could light up a room and a bubbly personality that made him the life of any gathering. Born in Cincinnati on January 10, 1989, to Shannon La-Chelle Cameron-Kanu and Anthony W. Jones, Jamar was pursuing a career in the music industry as a rapper. His mother remembers him as a good person to be around, someone who would often come to her for advice. To his family, the holidays were not complete without Jamar, who was particularly fond of the strawberry shortcake his grandmother made for Thanksgiving.

In the early hours of Monday, November 25, 2013, just days before Thanksgiving, that light was extinguished. Around 1 a.m., police responded to a report of a shooting at an apartment building in the 3100 block of Werk Road in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati. They found Jamar Jones in a hallway, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.

The Cincinnati Police Department’s homicide detectives launched an investigation into the shooting, which was the second homicide in Westwood that week. Investigators at the scene discovered that an apartment within the building had been ransacked, and a car was found left running in a nearby parking lot. However, authorities did not immediately confirm a direct link between these circumstances and Jamar's murder. No suspect information was released to the public.

In the years that have followed, Jamar's case has grown cold, and no arrests have ever been made. His mother, Shannon Cameron, has lived through what she describes as "a scary movie that you never wake up out of." She has spoken of her son having a conflict with a group of people around the time he was killed and has expressed her frustration with the lack of tips coming into the police. She continues to plead with the community for help, urging anyone who saw or knows anything to come forward. "People say they fear for their life because they don’t want to come forward with information, but you have to ask them, what if it happened to their loved one?” she said.

The loss has been especially hard on Jamar's three children, who his mother says still bear the emotional scars of their father's absence. For Shannon, the holidays are a particularly painful reminder of her loss. "It wasn’t a holiday without Jamar," she recalled, thinking of how he would eat all the strawberry shortcake. Now, Thanksgiving is a sad time, but she tries to remain cheerful, believing it's what her son would have wanted. "When I think of him, I think of his spirit and what he would want me to do, and he wouldn’t want me to sit around and crying and moping.”

Jamar's legacy continues in a way his family never expected. As an organ donor, he was able to save five other lives. His mother says this knowledge brings her a measure of comfort on the days she misses him most. His funeral service was held on December 4, 2013, at James Temple Church of God in Christ, and he was laid to rest at Vine Street Hill Cemetery.

As of November 2024, the murder of Jamar Jones remains unsolved. His family continues to seek justice and answers, holding onto the memory of his bright spirit. They ask that anyone with information regarding the shooting death of Jamar Jones call the Cincinnati Police District 3 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.