Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – A Jonesboro man is being held on a $5 million cash/surety bond after police arrested him in connection with a Christmas Eve shooting that left one person dead.
District Judge David Boling found probable cause Dec. 29 to charge 29-year-old Mario Jashon Stafford with first-degree murder/homicide and aggravated residential burglary, both class Y felonies. The charges stem from an arrest that occurred Dec. 24 after police received a 911 call at 3:20 a.m. that morning for a shooting at a home in the 300 block of State Street.
| READ MORE: Arrest made in connection with Jonesboro Christmas Eve shooting
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim’s roommate was entering the home when an unknown suspect pushed her, and the door opened. The suspect then pointed a gun toward the victim and fired once, with the projectile striking the victim in the side and exiting through the right side of his body.
During the investigation, it was determined that one of the suspects, Stafford, had been parked in front of the victim’s home just before the shooting at 2:55 a.m. The affidavit said he was seen in a blue Chevy Malibu and reportedly spoke to both the victim and another resident of the home. The victim’s roommate told police that Stafford had offered to drive her to a friend’s home, and when she walked outside, Stafford had driven off.
Detectives reviewed footage from the Real Time Intelligence Center, showing Stafford driving away from the home at 3:02 a.m. The footage tracked the vehicle, stopping at the intersection of Cedar Heights Drive and Melrose Street. At this location, detectives saw a second person inside the vehicle with Stafford.
The affidavit said that the vehicle was then parked at an apartment in the 300 block of Melrose Street at 3:04 a.m., and sometime later, drove off, going toward Cedar Heights Drive. As the vehicle left, a camera caught a person walking near the area where the vehicle had been parked at 3:05 a.m. The person was seen using a cell phone before walking through the “cut” between the buildings.
Police said Stafford then picked up the victim’s roommate and was seen driving to Self Circle Drive at 3:06 a.m. before driving back to State Street 11 minutes later. The roommate got out of the vehicle and went inside the apartment, which is when witnesses said the shot was fired.
At 3:19 a.m., footage showed the vehicle pulling out and heading north on State Street. Approximately 10 seconds later, a suspect was seen running out of the apartment complex and disappeared. However, footage showed a vehicle matching Blue Malibu’s description driving up and down Scott Street.
“The established timeline and surveillance footage indicate that Mario Stafford had prior knowledge of the events and actively assisted in transporting and positioning the shooter to commit the crime,” the affidavit said.
The online jail roster shows that Stafford was arrested at 3:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
In determining a bond, it was noted that Stafford had multiple violent offenses in his history, being considered a danger to the community. He pleaded not guilty to capital murder and aggravated residential burglary for an incident in 2015 that left one woman dead. However, the charges were dropped due to the surviving witnesses being unable to identify Stafford.
Stafford was given a $5 million cash/surety bond. He was also ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release.
Stafford’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026.
