Three men arrested, one with minor gunshot wounds

RIVER FALLS – A family argument turned violent on the afternoon of Aug. 11 on Elm Street in River Falls when two men allegedly began shooting at one another when a verbal altercation escalated. As a result, one man received minor gunshot wounds and three men are facing felony charges in Pierce County Circuit Court. The shooting took place in a school zone, not far from River Falls Montessori School.

Jarques Tyquan Jackson, 23, River Falls, is charged with felony attempt first degree reckless homicide (use of a dangerous weapon, violent crime in a school zone), firstdegree recklessly endangering safety (use of a dangerous weapon, violent crime in a school zone), felony possess firearm – convicted of a felony, and disorderly conduct (use of dangerous weapon).

Jevon Henry Jackson, 48, River Falls, is charged with felony attempt first degree reckless homicide (as party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon, violent crime in a school zone), felony first degree recklessly endangering safety (as party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon, violent crime in a school zone) and SHOOTING

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disorderly conduct (as party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon).

If convicted, both men face up to 30 years in prison (plus five years each for the dangerous weapon and school zone modifiers) and fines not to exceed $25,000.

Charles Trevion Barbee Jr., 21, River Falls, is charged with felony first-degree recklessly endangering safety (use of a dangerous weapon, violent crime in a school zone), felony bail jumping, disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon) and two misdemeanor bail jumping charges. He is facing up to 12 years in prison (plus five years each for the dangerous weapon and school zone modifiers) and fines not to exceed $25,000.

According to the complaint: At 12:12 p.m. Aug. 11, River Falls police responded to 523 E. Elm St. for a shooting complaint. When officers arrived, they found multiple spent handgun ammunition casings scattered across the front porch.

A 45-year-old man, identified as Charles Barbee Sr., told police he and his son, Charles T. Barbee, 21, River Falls, were siting on the front stoop when Jevon H. Jackson, 48, and Jarques T. Jackson, 23, drove up and parked in front of the house. The two men started arguing with Barbee and his father, who tried to calm the situation. However, Jarques Jackson began yelling louder, he said, and pulled out a firearm and began shooting toward the house. Barbee’s father ran off the front stairs to avoid being hit and Jarques Jackson continued shooting from the passenger seat of the vehicle, he said. Jevon and Jarques Jackson then left, heading westbound on Elm Street before turning onto Dallas Street, all the while screaming as they drove out of sight.

When police arrived, the elder Barbee helped police look for his son, who had fled, or any trace of blood, of which none was found. He wasn’t sure at that point if anyone had been hit. Besides the spent casings, police also saw several bullet holes in the front of the residence. The elder Barbee told police his juvenile son was inside at the time of the shooting. He was unharmed.

One neighbor told police he heard two or three gunshots while lying on the couch, after hearing two men arguing loudly.

Two other witnesses reported seeing two men exit a dark-colored Nissan in front of the residence and begin arguing with two men on the porch. One of the men on the porch, later identified as Barbee, went in the house and came out again. Soon, four to seven gunshots rang out, with Barbee allegedly shooting toward the vehicle as the Jacksons left. The witnesses told police the younger man, later identified as Jarques Jackson, shot first, while Jevon Jackson was verbally argumentative.

Another witness biking on Elm Street at the time told police he heard about 20 shots before seeing two men take off in a black vehicle. Yet another neighbor said he heard about 20 shots ring out and took cover in his yard behind a tree.

Barbee Sr. told police that an argument had been ongoing between Barbee Jr. and Jarques Jackson about a rap video that Jarques Jackson had made with another man, in which they talk about killing Barbee Jr.’s mother. Barbee Sr. and his cousin, Jevon Jackson, had been trying to squash the argument between the two young men because they are all family. Barbee Sr. spoke to Jevon Jackson about settling the argument over the phone, and Barbee Junior arrived at the house shortly before the Jacksons arrived to talk things out. Barbee Sr. said both men came out of the car yelling and arguing; they all talked for about 10 minutes before things escalated further and Jarques Jackson pulled out a gun and started shooting, at which time Barbee Junior did the same. Barbee Sr. said he ran into a neighbor’s yard to escape the shooting, while Barbee Jr. jumped off the porch and fled east.

At about 6 p.m., two officers conducting surveillance located the suspect vehicle and stopped Jevon Jackson after he left his home. He was taken into custody without incident. His vehicle was impounded and officers found bullet holes in the passenger side and blood on the inside front passenger door. He refused to speak with police at the station and was taken to Pierce County Jail.

Jarques Jackson, who had two minor gunshot wounds, was taken into custody during a search warrant execution at a South Apollo Road residence and brought to River Falls Police Department. His story changed multiple times. At first, he told police that he and Jevon Jackson had been driving by the Barbees’ house on their way to Jevon Jackson’s house when bullets started flying. He said they took that route at random due to road construction on Maple Street. He told police he had never shot a gun before. He later said he and his uncle had gone to the Barbees’ to talk over a social media post that Barbee Jr. had made that upset him. He said Barbee Jr. started shooting from the porch and that he didn’t know who the second shooter was. After examining Jevon Jackson’s vehicle, police told Jarques Jackson that his story didn’t make sense. He was taken to Pierce County Jail about 3 a.m. Aug. 12.

At 11:20 a.m. Aug. 12, Barbee Jr. turned himself in and led police to a disposed firearm, laying in tall grass in an alleyway in the 109 block of Pearl Street. He admitted to firing several rounds from a handgun, because Jarques Jackson was shooting at him, he said. Another family member, who was not present during the shooting, told police that Jarques Jackson frequently makes music videos containing bad remarks about the Barbees and is always trying to start trouble, though they want no drama. Barbee Jr. was also taken to Pierce County Jail.

The shooting took place less than 600 feet from River Falls Montessori School, while one gun, a Springfield XDM 5.25 .40 caliber handgun, was found about 235 feet from the school. Ammunition matching ammunition at the crime scene was also located. The gun Jarques Jackson allegedly used was a Glock 44 handgun. The case for the gun, as well as ammunition matching ammunition at the crime scene, was located during a search warrant execution at a Powell Avenue address, home of Jarques Jackson’s girlfriend. Paperwork showed she purchased the gun in June 2021.

Preliminary hearings for all three men were scheduled for Aug. 24 at Pierce County Courthouse.

Jarques Jackson

Jevon Jackson