A Northern Arizona University freshman charged with first degree murder after shooting a fellow student dead and wounding two others claims he was acting in self defense.
Steven Jones, 18, killed fellow student Colin Brough with two shots to the chest and one to the shoulder after getting into a fight with members of the*Delta Chi fraternity outside an all-Greek residence hall on campus in the early hours of yesterday.
Prosecutors said Jones, a pledge from the Sigma Chi fraternity, got into the fight in the parking lot outside the dorm and was punched in the face before being chased to his car where he kept a pistol.
When he got there he pulled the weapon, then fired shots at close range, killing Brough and wounding fellow frat members Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientek and Nicholas Piring.
Jones has since told police that he acted in self defense, warning his unarmed attackers that he would shoot, then opening fire when two of them continued to approach him.
However prosecutors have rubbished that claim, saying Jones could easily have walked away from the fracas, but chose to get his gun and 'go back into the fray'.
Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker also accused Baker of giving 'self-serving statements' to police in order to protect himself.**
Colin Brough
Flagstaff Police Chief Greg Fowler said the fatal shooting broke out after members of two 'student groups' got into a confrontation in a parking lot outside Mountain View Hall - *the campus' all-Greek dorm where the majority of the school's fraternity and sorority members live.
When the fight turned physical, Fowler says
Jones pulled out a handgun with a flashlight attachment before firing at the students from 10ft away.
He allegedly stopped shooting when officers arrived at the scene about 1.20am and subdued him.*
Jones was taken into custody. He has reportedly been cooperating with police.*
Later Friday afternoon Jones had his first court hearing, where he was held on $2million bail for charges of felony first-degree murder and three counts of felony aggravated assault.*
Kyle Zientek
Nicholas Prato
Nicholas Piring
The three others who were injured in the shooting were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for their injuries.*
Their conditions are not currently known, but Fowler says that
they all suffered multiple gunshot wounds.**
Sigma Chi Fraternity executive director Michael Church confirmed in a statement Friday that Steven Jones was seeking membership with its NAU chapter.
Church said the shooting was not associated with any chapter event.
He says Jones was removed from the chapter's pledge program immediately following his arrest.*