Newport Man Shot Cousin Between 8 And 10 Times In SUV: Charges

NEWPORT, MN — A Newport man was charged after authorities found his cousin dead in an SUV at the Newport Transit Center on Monday.

Sylvester T. Jones, 37, was arrested at his home on Monday evening, authorities said. He faces second-degree intentional murder in the death of 39-year-old Terrell E. McIntyre, who was also from Newport.

If convicted, Jones faces up to 40 years in prison.

"Any loss of life is an incredible shock to the community, and I am proud of the dedicated investigators and law enforcement partners who worked so hard to bring closure to all those involved," said Sheriff Dan Starry in a news release.

"Our community partnerships were instrumental in helping to quickly solve this crime and I am thankful to all of those who assisted in this investigation."

Just before 11 a.m. on Monday, Washington County deputies were called to the transit center parking lot for an "unknown medical situation." A witness saw McIntyre slumped over in the driver’s seat of an SUV, according to the criminal complaint.

McIntyre had been shot from inside the SUV multiple times, investigators determined.

Surveillance footage showed a man walking away from the SUV toward Maxwell Avenue, police said.

At around 10:30 p.m. on Monday, a SWAT team executed a search warrant at a home on the 1700 block of 1st Avenue, just blocks from where the shooting took place. Jones was taken into custody without incident, according to authorities.

Jones admitted to shooting his cousin somewhere between eight and 10 times, the criminal complaint states.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Jones remains in custody at the Washington County Jail and is awaiting his first court appearance.