PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Even before sunrise Thursday, the Facebook page of 33-year-old Cornelius "Corn" Jones was filled with countless posts of grief and astonishment over his tragic death.
"I'm still trying wrap my mind around how or why it happened," said longtime friend Dequantay Johnson who considered Jones to be more like a brother.
Jones was murdered Wednesday night after telling a 22-year-old acquaintance to leave his home after the man spit in the kitchen sink.
“It is unfathomable that a human life would be taken for something so absurdly trivial as a person spitting in a sink,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Jones lived in a fourth-floor apartment on Carriage Circle in Pontiac and friends said Jones took pride in keeping his place clean.
Several people were visiting Jones when witnesses said the 22-year-old man became agitated when Jones told him that it was disrespectful for him to spit in his kitchen sink and to leave. That's when the man pulled out a gun and shot Jones multiple times, according to investigators.
The suspect and another man fled the apartment building but were eventually tracked down by deputies using drones and tracking dogs.
During the foot chase, the suspect ditched the gun but we're told K-9 units were able to recover the weapon.
Family and friends tell 7 Action News that Jones was known for his sense of humor and humility.
Moniqua Turner said her brother was all about family and making people laugh.
"He didn't have much but whatever he did have, he gave willingly. He gave graciously," Turner said.
Loved ones have started a GoFundMe page for help raising money for Jones's funeral.
Turner said the tragic loss of her brother has brought the family together.
"Anybody who has a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, love that person today," she said. "Don't hold any grudges. Love that person. Let that person know and heal one another."
