Azoria Jones was just 15 years old when she bled out on a Milwaukee sidewalk last September, her teenage boyfriend claiming someone else had shot her before he ran to his grandmother's house for help. Now that boyfriend will spend the next decade and more behind bars.
Background
Azoria Jones loved dance and spending time with family in their Milwaukee neighborhood, according to relatives who described her as full of life. The 15-year-old was walking home from picking up a food order on the evening of September 21, 2025, accompanied by her boyfriend, Javier Smith, then 17 years old. Witnesses told police they saw the teen couple walking down the sidewalk together that night before hearing a gunshot ring out through their quiet neighborhood.
A neighbor who heard the shot told investigators she heard Azoria cry out "Oh, my God!" and begin sobbing. She also reported hearing Smith ask, "Are you okay? Wake up!" moments after Azoria fell to the ground. Another witness said she heard Azoria "groaning" while Smith yelled out, "Stop playing, girl!" before he fled the scene on foot without responding to her calls asking if he needed an ambulance.
The Investigation
Milwaukee police arrived at the scene to find Azoria unresponsive with blood on her shirt, pronounced dead of a gunshot wound. Investigators quickly identified Smith as a suspect after speaking with Azoria's family members who knew he was her boyfriend. One of Azoria's aunts told police that Smith had previously pulled a gun on her while she was with the couple.
Smith's grandmother told investigators the teens had left her home around 10:15 p.m. to pick up their food order. Minutes later, Smith came running back saying, "They shot her!" and begging her to call 911. When police took Smith into custody three days after the shooting, his account of events shifted dramatically multiple times.
At first, he told investigators he and Azoria were walking when he heard a gunshot and ran. He denied owning a gun or shooting Azoria. He later claimed the shooting was accidental, saying he was carrying a weapon under his arm when a car drove up that he thought was about to "bust it down" and the gun went off. Only after continued questioning did Smith admit he was the one who shot Azoria, believing he struck her in the chest. He also admitted disposing of the firearm in a sewer.
Investigators were able to obtain surveillance video from a Milwaukee County Transit bus that captured the moment of the shooting at 10:19 p.m. The footage showed no other vehicles in the area in the moments before the shot rang out, undermining Smith's claims of an unknown shooter approaching them. Police say Smith leaned over Azoria for a few seconds after she fell before fleeing on foot.
Key Takeaways
- Azoria Jones was 15 years old when she died from a gunshot wound on September 21, 2025 in Milwaukee
- Javier Smith, 17 at the time of the shooting, initially told police an unknown shooter was responsible for Azoria's death
- Surveillance footage from a passing bus captured the shooting with no other vehicles present before the shot fired
- Police say Smith changed his story multiple times during questioning over three days
- An aunt told investigators that Smith had previously pulled a gun on her while she was with Azoria
- Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide and was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus six years supervised release
What's Next
Smith has been remanded to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to serve his sentence. While no further court proceedings are scheduled, prosecutors noted that a weapons charge read aloud at sentencing had been dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The case serves as a reminder of the dangers of domestic violence escalating, particularly when minors have access to firearms.