Residents & advocate comment on Kinston officer being fired

KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - Kinston residents and an advocate for defunding the city’s police department are speaking out after a Kinston Police Officer was fired on Wednesday following his arrest.

Kinston Police say Daquante Jones was fired after warrants say he stole $940.00 from a murder suspect after a deadly crash in May of 2024.

In the crash, the driver was charged with murder after police say he was speeding in a stolen car and then killed a 29-year-old in a car collision.

Resita Cox is the chairwoman for the Defund the Kinston Police campaign. She says she was saddened to hear the news.

“Daquante was one of the cops that people liked and warmed up to because he’s from here, he’s a person of color,” said Cox. “It was really shocking. I will say, it’s interesting to see who they choose to discipline.”

Cox isn’t the only one who said it’s interesting to see Jones being disciplined. Quarla Blackwell, who’s running for Kinston City Council, told WITN that Jones is being treated differently from other officers and wonders why he’s being treated as what she calls a “scapegoat.”

Some Kinston residents we asked about the case say there was already shaky trust between police and the community before this.

“Some of us trust them and some of us have iffy thoughts about the situation,” explained Kinston resident, Valerie Chatman. “Right now, it’s like we’re in a battle against each other.”

Jones is charged with theft from the person and altering, destroying, or stealing criminal evidence for actions. Chief Keith Goyette says Jones was fired Wednesday. Cox says even though she believes he was singled out, he still needs to be held accountable.

“Knowing Daquante, knowing that he was someone who was respected, it hurts even more,” Cox added. “We need officers like Daquante to do his job.”

The State Bureau of Investigation says this investigation is ongoing. Jones’ first court appearance was Thursday morning.