The family of Marcel Dupree Jones, an unhoused Black man who was shot and killed in a homeless shelter, is suing Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, or BOSS, the nonprofit that operates the shelter. The family is also suing the city of Berkeley, as well as Mark Christopher Dowling, the man who allegedly committed the murder.
The formal complaint was filed Nov. 18 by two of Jones’ preschool-aged children through a court-appointed guardian and accuses BOSS and the city of Berkeley of negligence, premise liability and civil rights violations.
According to the complaint, Jones was 37 and had been living at the Ursula Sherman Village shelter for about six to seven months before his death…