22-year-old DarQuan Jones is lucky to be alive, according to his father. Daryl Jones held a press conference on Sunday alongside members of the Des Moines NAACP, where he detailed the attack that left his son with serious injuries.
What We Know:
- According to a police report, the attack happened on May 16. DarQuan was going to visit his girlfriend on Saturday morning when three men attacked him.
- His father shared that the men put his son in a chokehold and broke multiple bones in his face. The Des Moines Register reports that Jones passionately shared with the press, “They broke my son’s face in five places. Five.”
- At the press conference, his father talked about his son’s character calling him a “hard-working kid,” and remarked to the assembly, “Just because he has a couple of tattoos doesn’t make him an outcast.”
- The white men attacked DarQuan Jones and allegedly called him racial slurs. A witness who heard the young man screaming for help came to his aid. That witness, Tiya Campbell, said the men also hurled racial slurs toward her and her friends. Campbell said that the attackers vowed to get “them out” of the community.
- The DMPD acknowledged that racial slurs were used during the attack, but have not said whether or not the men would be charged with a hate crime when they are found. Des Moines Police Maj. Stephen Waymire said at the press conference that the case is a high priority for the department and officers hope to have the case resolved as soon as possible.
Jones’ attack comes days after a virtual meeting between the Des Moines City Council and the Human Rights Commission was hacked by a racist hurling racial and sexual slurs. Both incidents prompted the NAACP to issue a release cautioning Black residents to be on high alert.
