Jacqueline Avant Suspect Arrested After Literally Shooting Himself In The Foot

The suspect who has been accused of shooting and killing Jacqueline Avant has been arrested. Avant was the wife of music legend Clarence Avant.

Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old Los Angeles resident as the primary suspect in the deadly home invasion. Reports reveal that Aariel Maynor was on parole and had an “extensive” criminal record.

He was arrested as police were responding to reports of a second burglary that took place in Hollywood Hills.

On Wednesday, December 1, police officers first received a report of a shooting around 2:23 a.m. in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood.

When police arrived, they found Jacqueline Avant, who had been shot. She was rushed to a local hospital and passed away from her injuries shortly after. Reports say that a security guard was also home during the incident; however, there are no reports to suggest that they were injured in the home invasion.

One hour after the first call came in, authorities received another call concerning a shooting at a home located in Hollywood Hills. When they arrived, they found Maynor struggling with a gunshot wound in his foot.

Authorities believe that he accidentally shot himself in the foot while he was attempting the home invasion. An AR-15 rifle was recovered at the scene.

Police are still trying to determine a motive at this time. Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said during a news briefing that “the motives in this case are still unknown, and we’re investigating all possible motives. And we will not speculate on anything that’s out there, including if this was a robbery attempt or not.”

He added that the city is “one of the most protected and patrolled in cities in the world.”

“Crimes of any kind will not be tolerated here,” he continued. “Let this be a message to anyone about thinking of committing a crime in Beverly Hills. You will be caught and brought to justice.”

Although Stainbrook is committed to protecting Beverly Hills, the city of Los Angeles was rocked by over a dozen arrests in a series of burglaries that took place between November 18 and November 28.

Authorities say that fourteen people were arrested in smash-and-grab robberies. Nearly $340,000 dollars of merchandise was reported stolen. The crime spree, which took place over a ten-day period, also led to approximately $40,000 dollars in property damage.

Police Chief Michael Moore said that most of those who have been arrested were bailed out or met no-bail criteria and were released. He added that one person arrested was a juvenile. The no-bail policy for certain defendants was created as a way to reduce overcrowding in jails during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, many are concerned about what this could mean for the safety of the community.

Mayor Eric Garcetti called for an end to the no-bail policy, saying, “We need the help of our criminal justice system, of our judges, of our jailers. We have opened up a lot of the city because we’re in a better place with COVID. We should be able to also open up our jails, and we should be able to have judges that put people behind those bars.”