A fire at a local business Sunday morning was discovered not to be accidental when the person who set the blaze was located deceased inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Jones County Sheriff Office Investigator Crystal Murphy, the lead investigator in the case, said she was contacted at 9:15 July 6 about the fire and suicide.
Murphy said the fire at 4250 Gray Highway, Stan’s Body Shop, was reported at 8:40 a.m. by a passerby. An alert was sent to Jones County and Gray fire departments immediately.
The investigator said the deceased was identified as John C. Jackson, 58, and he was found in the office of the body shop. She said Jackson had worked for the company on and off.
Murphy said she was told by family members that Jackson suffered from mental and alcohol issues. She said it appeared that Jackson let himself into the business with a key and proceeded to pour diesel fuel, he purchased that morning, on cars in the shop.
The investigator said Jackson was captured on video pouring the fuel around the shop before lighting it on fire. He then went into the office and shot himself. She said the gun he used was found in the floor of the office.
Murphy said the fire was extinguished by the fire departments before she arrived. Gray Highway was shut down in front of the body shop at 9 a.m. and one lane was reopened at 9:20 a.m.
The investigator said seven to eight cars inside the shop were damaged along with the interior of the building, but the structure was still standing. The office portion of the building had water and smoke damage.
Murphy said the investigation was straight forward and wrapping up.
“The criminal part is over; there is no one to charge,” she said.
The body shop is owned and operated by a local family and has eight fulltime employees. The cleanup process has begun but there is no estimate of when the business may be able to reopen. Additionally, a business located beside the body shop had to close until its power could be restored.
Gray Fire Department Chief Keith Eisele said the structure involved was in the county and the city provided mutual aid. Jones County Fire Department Capt. Gary Harrell was the incident commander.
Jones County Fire Chief Thomas Coleman said the first firefighter on the scene of the June 6 fire was JCFD Capt. Jon Harrison, and the deceased was found by JCFD Sgt. Hunter Wynn.
Amber Stanford Ruff spoke on behalf of the owners and employees of Stans Body Shop. She said the community support received during and after the fire was incredible.
“We just want to say thank you for the water, food and everyone who reached out to help us. It was amazing and truly appreciated,” she stated.
