Man with ties to St. John Parish arrested following execution-style shooting in New Orleans

Published 3:11 pm Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEW ORLEANS — A man with ties to St. John the Baptist Parish was apprehended in Tennessee after allegedly killing a woman in an execution-style shooting Monday morning in New Orleans.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported on Wednesday that B.J. Brown was taken into custody. Brown is accused of killing Cassandra Jones in broad daylight just before 9:30 a.m. Monday morning on Iberville Street in New Orleans.

According to police, Jones was leaving her house, preparing to head to work at the First City Court in New Orleans, when she was fatally shot.

A chilling video circulated social media Monday, showing a subject believed to be Brown walk up to Jones as she was struggling on the ground after being shot in an apartment complex parking lot. The video then showed the subject firing another two rounds into the victim’s body to finish her off.

Brown, who has been arrested more than 10 times in St. John Parish and was previously listed as residing in Reserve, is also accused of shooting a police officer in Erin, Tennessee, after fleeing from New Orleans early this week.

Brown allegedly exited his car during a traffic stop and struck the officer while he was in his patrol car. The Erin police chief stated that the officer’s injuries are not life-threatening. The officer is reported to have returned fire as Brown fled the scene on foot. He was later captured, following a search through wooded terrain.

Back in New Orleans, family members identified Jones as the deceased victim and told police that she used to date Brown.

Court records indicate a record of domestic abuse, which led Jones to file a petition for protection in May 2022. Jones accused Brown of physical, mental, sexual and financial abuse, and her written statement indicated that Brown previously tried to smother her with a pillow following an argument. Jones also indicated that Brown had punched, bruised, stomped on her and knocked her teeth out.

Despite the petition, a temporary restraining order was never granted because Jones did not proceed with the matter in court.

In August 2020, the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that Brown and Jones were arrested in Reserve following a pursuit with law enforcement. Police located more than 600 doses of MDMA, more than 200 grams of marijuana and a digital scale inside the vehicle.

While Jones was charged with one count of flight from an officer by vehicle and released the same day, Brown faced several outstanding warrants for drug violations.

Following a previous arrest in November 2018, St. John Parish authorities said Brown had been linked to charges of domestic abuse, child support failure, simple battery, marijuana dealing and assaulting a police dog.