Three suspects named in Monday’s broad daylight double murder
The city should demand that Parkview be operated like all other gated communities, says community activist Marie Brown. Her comments came in the aftermath of a double murder in Parkview Apartments.
Monday morning two men were murdered in broad daylight after a verbal altercation at the Parkview Apartments in South Monroe. The incident was captured on surveillance video with sound in which one of the shooters bragged that he was not afraid of jail because “that’s the way I roll.”
The video, which graphically depicted the deaths of the victims, was posted on Youtube by a local media outlet.
Suspects in the murders are identified as: Daniel J. Towns, 22; Mario Jones, 19; and Delarrious Jones, 28.
Towns was charged with two counts of second degree murder and 1 count of attempted second degree murder. Towns was charged with two counts of second degree murder and 1 count of attempted second degree murder; Mario Jones was charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Murder and one count of attempted second degree murder. Delarrious Jones was charged with two counts of second degree murder.
The murders were another in a series of murders and shootings that have happened in Parkview Apartments, a subject that is handled lightly by city officials.
At a recent city council meeting the subject of the safety of Parkview residents was brought before the council by a citizen. Council President Juanita Woods said the complex needs more lighting, but probably won’t do any good if residents break the lights so they can operate in darkness. In June, Woods admitted that she doesn’t go to Parkview out of fear.
Brown, a poor people’s advocate, said Parkview residents are generally law abiding, but are unprotected.
“They live in a gated community that the owner’s don’t monitor the gates,” said Brown, a recent mayoral candidate.
She said complex owners, Standard Enterprise (Turrentine Family) at one time strictly monitored the gates of the complex like all other gated communities in the city but for some reason stopped.
“What good is a gated community if no one monitors the gates?” asked Brown.
She said the city should press owners to maintain 24-hour guards like all other gated communities.
Those who are not the guests of residents should not be allowed, a resident should be held responsible for the guests they invite into the complex.
Brown pointed to the Monroe Housing Authority which also operates gated communities, but enforces strict rules that hold tenants responsible for the actions of their guests. As a result, very few incidences of violence occur in the MHA despite its high poverty population.
“The owners of the complex bear some of the blame for profiting from the complex without making it safe for those who live there,” said Brown.
