KENNETT, Mo. . – Today Jatavious Jones, 18, Marquel Rhines, 26, and Cotie Whitaker,32, face charges stemming from a Sunday night shooting in Kennett. Jones has not yet been apprehended.
On Sunday a victim came to the Kennett Police Department reporting he had been shot. A Dunklin County Deputy was the first officer on the scene and found Tahmiius Mitchell in the vehicle who had been fatally shot. Another victim who was also shot but did not face life threatening injuries reported to police that someone had shot at his vehicle when he was driving on First Street in Kennett. He said that Rhines fired the gun while Jones was driving. Investigators later found Cotie Whitaker’s Chevrolet Trail Blazer in Hayti which matched witness statements and surveillance footage, and they found a 9mm shell casing on the dash of the vehicle.
Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain charged Jones and Rhines with murder in the first degree, felony murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Jain charged Whitaker with hindering the prosecution of a felony and tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution.
Rhines and Whitaker were taken into custody Tuesday night in Hayti by investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. No bond warrants were issued for Jones and Rhines by the Honorable John Spielman and a $50,000 cash only warrant was issued on Whitaker. Rhines and Whitaker will be arraigned in front of Judge Spielman on Thursday.
Jatavious Jones has not yet been apprehended. Jain asks anyone with information about his location to contact their nearest law enforcement agency or the Kennett Police Department but warns the public not to approach him as he should be considered armed and dangerous. At the time of the shooting, Jones had a $125,000 cash only warrant for his arrest for a May 2020 shooting and a $15,000 warrant for his arrest for a September 2019 domestic assault.