On the last day of his life, Jonathan Mauk was in an accident in the parking lot of a Walmart in Highland, an accident that would otherwise be of little consequence.
Instead, it ended with his death, a homicide that has police and his relatives searching for a motive for what appears to be a senseless murder.
The 59-year-old father of three and car enthusiast visited Walmart on Feb. 5 to purchase ingredients to make beef jerky, using a dehydrator he received from one of his sons.
He stopped at the discount store around 8 p.m. in his 1998 Chevrolet Camaro Supersport, but before entering the store, he backed into a red Toyota Camry, according to the San Bernardino Police Department.
Mauk got out of the car and tried to apologize to the woman he hit, who also got out of her car.
The woman was “upset,” police said.
“He felt responsible and started apologizing, and the other driver turned around and shot him in the face,” said Matthew Mauk, one of the victim's three children, who spoke to detectives about the case.
She fired a single shot from a 9-millimeter handgun, returned to her car and drove away, according to police. Mauk died at the scene.
Responding police officers spoke with witnesses and collected surveillance video that helped them identify Shawntece Norton, 37, as the suspect in the shooting.
The next day, less than 12 hours later, police arrested Norton, a former Los Angeles resident who lived in San Bernardino in the 26000 block of Base Line Street, according to police. She was charged with murder with a firearm and is being held without bail, according to jail records.
Police executed a search warrant at his apartment and found an unregistered 9 millimeter firearm. Ballistics tests confirmed that the firearm was used in the Walmart shooting, police said.
“It is a horrible situation. We believe this is an isolated incident. Our heart is broken for the family, but we are grateful for the response of our officers and investigators,” San Bernardino Police Department Capt. Nelson Carrington said in an interview.
Carrington said the department was baffled by the shooting and could not provide a motive as to why Norton, who is a mother, might have committed the crime. Police could only find a criminal record for a petit larceny conviction against him in 2013.
Mauk's murder in a minor accident left his family reeling and searching for answers.
“It's heartbreaking to see my entire family completely fall apart,” Matthew said. “All our lives changed in an instant forever, nothing will be the same again. My dad was very involved in our lives in all aspects. “Not having him there is beyond words.”
For now there are few answers. Norton pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and denied the firearm enhancement. He is due back in court for a hearing on Thursday.
In 2020, Norton filed a lawsuit against Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for negligence. The complaint is handwritten and consists of only eight written words.
“Registered schizophrenia. Trouble breathing, sleeping and eating,” she scribbled on the legal document.
He did not specify what services the hospital had provided. The lawsuit was dismissed.
Norton had also applied for licenses as a security guard numerous times, according to public records, most recently in 2020, although all of his licenses were expired or suspended, according to the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.
He also had a permit for a baton, a self-defense weapon, which was suspended, although the office did not explain why.
Norton's son denied that his mother shot Mauk, but refused to answer questions about his mother's history.
“She didn't shoot him. She is gun-free,” Kevin Norton said in an interview. “She's just the best mom, she did the best she could and she's been trying.”
Matthew Mauk hopes Norton will face justice for the murder.
“I just think it's important to know that what happened is unacceptable. I hope justice is done,” she stated.
