Gun linked to Cop Shooting, Slaying

Chomrean Meas, 19








STOCKTON - The weapon used to kill 42-year-old Stanley Jones in north Stockton on Monday evening is the same one that injured Stockton police Officer Keith Berry on Wednesday night, according to police.

The weapon, a handgun of an undisclosed caliber, was used by Chomrean Meas, 19, to shoot Berry in the 1900 block of Colt Drive, said Detective Joseph Silva of the Stockton Police Department. Meas was shot and killed by Officer Thomas Heslin shortly after Berry was wounded, and investigators have linked the man to Jones' death.

"Meas was related to the (Jones) homicide," Silva said.

Berry remains in the hospital in stable but guarded condition and is receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, Silva said.

"There is no date on when he could return home from the hospital," Silva said.

Details on Berry's personal life, such as marital status and number of children, are being withheld at this time to offer his family some privacy, police said.

The extent of Berry's injuries have not been disclosed. The officer was shot when he and Heslin approached a group that Meas was a part of at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, police said. Meas did not cooperate with Berry and shot him in the stomach during a scuffle, Silva said.

A preliminary link to Meas' weapon and Jones' death was made Thursday, and Silva confirmed the connection Friday.

A motive has yet to be established in Jones' killing, Silva said. However, the victim's wife, Denice Jones, thinks the door-to-door salesman was the victim of a robbery that turned violent.

Jones was found in the 1900 block of Colt Drive, just a few doors down from where Meas exchanged gunfire with police Wednesday night, according to authorities. The homicide victim lived less than two blocks away from where he was killed.

While many of the details about the slaying are not being released because the investigation is still active, Silva said police wanted to share information about the weapon used in the homicide to help bring closure to Jones' relatives.