Friends and family are mourning the loss of 15-year-old Dasan Jones, who was found dead in his stepfather’s home in Curtis Bay, Maryland, earlier this week. 

Jones’ body was found inside of a wall in a home belonging to Baltimore City Police Officer Eric Banks Jr. on Tuesday, according to court documents.

The 34-year-old was arrested when officers arrived at his home for a custody dispute involving Jones’ mother, WJZ reported. Banks agreed to allow Anne Arundel County police to search his home. Once officers reached the loft on the top floor, they noticed a hole in the wall that was being covered by a white sheet. 

Banks told the officers it was a gun safe. When the officers had a look for themselves, they found the teen unresponsive. Banks was then immediately arrested.

“I heard the mom crying and that cry, I heard instinctually I knew something happened to her kid,” a neighbor told the outlet. 

While handcuffed, Jones’ stepfather pleaded with officers to allow him to kiss his kids, according to court documents. That’s when he tried to grab an officer’s gun and said multiple times that they would “have to end this.”

Police stated Banks initially informed them his stepson left the residence without any belongings. He has been charged with assault and resisting arrest. He’s awaiting a preliminary hearing, WBAL TV reported. 

The officer, who has been on the Baltimore police force for three years, has been suspended without pay. 

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said prior to this incident, Banks’ police powers had already been suspended for reasons that haven’t been publicly stated. 

Anne Arundel County Police are calling Jones’ death “suspicious.” The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. 

The Burnie High School student was also an accomplished violin player and was well liked, the Capital Gazette reported.

This year, Jones completed his freshman year in Glen Burnie’s BioMedical Allied Health program. 

Jones’ friend Kayla Wright spoke with WBAL11 and said the teen was full of energy.

“I know that he wanted to be a doctor and he played violin, so I was really sad that I had lost someone that I was like close with,” Wright said.

Wright created a GoFundMe page for the teen’s family. At the time of publication, she has raised more than $6,800. 

In the page’s description, Wright wrote “[Dasan Jones] had such a good soul and it is such a tragedy that he had to leave us so soon and so young. I created this to help his family and his mother through this hard time. This is for his funeral expenses and extra cash for his family.”

At this time, an investigation into Jones’ death is ongoing.