Los Angeles: The man who shot himself in the foot during an attempted robbery on the 6000 block of Graciosa Drive in the Hollywood Hills early Wednesday morning has been identified as the suspect in the shooting death of Jacqueline Avant, 81, roughly an hour earlier in Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills Police Department announced in a press release that they have made an arrest in the December 1 homicide of Jacqueline Avant. The suspect under arrest is 29-year-old Aariel Maynor of Los Angeles. Multiple surveillance videos, including city cameras, showed the suspect's vehicle heading eastbound out of Beverly Hills shortly after Mrs. Avant was shot.
At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, LAPD Hollywood division responded to a reported shooting at a residence in the 6000 block of Graciosa Drive. When they arrived, they found a male in the backyard suffering from a gunshot wound to his foot. Following a thorough investigation by LAPD, it was determined that a burglary occurred at that residence, and the suspect had accidentally shot himself in the foot. He was subsequently arrested by LAPD and transported to a local hospital and has been in law enforcement custody since. Key News reported on the story along with footage from the scene.
According to the press release, Beverly Hills detectives responded to Hollywood division and collected evidence connecting Maynor to the homicide of Jacqueline Avant including the suspected weapon. Beverly Hills detectives have assumed investigative responsibility for both cases.
The evidence thus far shows that only one suspect was involved in the crime and the motive remains under investigation, the release stated. Maynor will be booked into jail when medically cleared by doctors, according to BHPD.
Avant is reported to have died at the hospital following a home invasion robbery in which she was fatally shot on the 1100 block of Maytor Place around 2:25 a.m. Wednesday. Her husband, music executive Clarence Avant, 90, known as the Godfather of Black Music, was not injured nor was the security guard at the home. Jacqueline Avant served as president of the Neighbors of Watts, a support group that focused on child care. She was also on the board of directors of UCLA's International Student Center. She was also a member of the board for the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Anyone with information about this crime is urged to call the Beverly Hills Police Department at 310-288-2656. Anonymous reports can be made by text to TIP BEVHILLSPD followed by the tip information to 888777. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. To access Crime Stoppers, download the "P3 Tips" Mobile APP or use the website http://www.lacrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this article.