Ja’Mari Jones pleads not guilty in Bellevue Munchbar killing

The man accused in a fatal Christmas Eve bar shooting in Bellevue entered a plea of not guilty Thursday. An emotionally charged confrontation followed as spectators left the Seattle courtroom.

Ja’Mari Alexander Jones, 19, entered his plea more than two weeks after the shooting that killed DeShawn Milliken, 30, inside a crowded Munchbar, at Bellevue Square.

King County prosecutors claim that surveillance video shows Jones, in a distinctive red vest, firing a gun in the early morning hours of Dec. 24.

Jones was arrested January 2 by Lakewood Police.

In court, his attorney Julie Gaisford did not ask the judge to reconsider Jones’ bail, set at $5 million.

As spectators left the courtroom, shouts and angry words were exchanged. Jones’ girlfriend, who was booked in connection with the shooting and later released, was restrained and courthouse security kept the peace.

Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott O’Toole said the outburst is not surprising.

“It’s pretty intense and you can understand that DeShawn Milliken was a guy who apparently was living his life appropriately and right and was very close to his sister, who’s here and very close to his mother,” said O’Toole.

Jones was convicted in juvenile court in 2009 for the killing of Seattle street musician Ed “Tuba Man” McMichael.

“Based on his criminal history, Mr. Jones is looking at between 20 and 28 years in prison, that assumes that we do not add charges,” said O’Toole.

No trial date has been set for Jones.