The Board of Supervisors this week renewed a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of a high school student gunned down in Palmdale in 2016.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended extending a $10,000 county reward, set to expire Sunday, in the case of Jaquarius “Jay” Quinn, who was found shot to death about 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2016, in the 2300 block of Old Harold Road, an area deputies called deserted. The Palmdale City Council has offered an additional $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Investigators say Jay went out to enjoy an early Sunday dinner with family members who last saw him about 5 p.m. on the day he was killed. Detectives are unsure of a motive for the killing and said it was unclear whether he was shot on the street or pushed out of a vehicle.
He was identified when his grandmother came to the sheriff’s station the next day to report him missing. The R. Rex Parris High School 11th-grader’s hobbies included playing flag football with his friends, drawing, cooking and dancing. He was hoping to become an actor. At a January news conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, authorities and the teen’s family members appealed for help in solving the crime.
“Somebody knows what happened to my son.” said Jessica Quinn, who was wearing a T-shirt with an image of the teen on it. “My son didn’t deserve that. He was a kid; I mean, a child. How do you take a kid’s life like that? … I just want justice.”
Barger said his family “deserves to know that Jay’s killer is held responsible. It is my hope that this reward will help someone remember something that may be helpful in finally bringing justice to the Quinn family.”
Detectives say they have no viable clues and hope a reward will encourage someone to come forward.
Barger asked anyone with additional information on the Palmdale homicide to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
