A Bronx man convicted in the vicious attack that killed a Los Angeles-based rapper is demanding $1 million from New York City after he allegedly fell in a Rikers Island shower.
River Jones, one of four men indicted for the broad-daylight shooting of Avanti Frowner, 27, inside a Bronx pharmacy in 2022, filed a petition in Bronx Supreme Court claiming the alleged slip-and-fall warrants the massive payout.
Jones, who was an 18-year-old Monroe College student at the time of the deadly attack, was initially charged with second-degree murder. Police said he and two other men beat and robbed Frowner – aka Money Gang Vontae – before Isaiah Garrett, now 28, shot him repeatedly.
Jones was ultimately convicted of first-degree gang assault. He’s been in custody at Gouverneur Correctional Facility in upstate New York since June 25 and is up for parole in 2029, according to online records.
Jones was at Rikers — in the George R. Vierno Detention Center — when he allegedly slipped while showering in December 2025, according to court papers.
He claims he sustained “serious” injuries to his entire body, including his head, neck and face.
But medical records filed in court reveal that he only broke his elbow.
“[He was] presenting with left elbow pain after he slipped and fell in the shower,” the physician examining him wrote. “Denies head trauma or loss of consciousness. Denies other injuries.”
He underwent surgery and was discharged without complications, records show.
Jones is blaming the prison and the city for allegedly not having mats on the ground in the showering area.
The city Correction Department did not return messages seeking comment. Attorneys for Jones and the city declined to comment.
