Jacqueline Avant killing: Suspect arrested in Beverly Hills shooting

UPDATE Dec. 3, 2021:

Beverly Hills Police announced they arrested a suspect who they believe fatally shot Jacqueline Avant in her Beverly Hills home early Wednesday morning.

According to the Beverly Hills Police Department, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrived to a report of a shooting at approximately 3:30 a.m. on the 600 block of Graciosa Drive in Hollywood. They found the suspect, 29-year-old Aariel Maynor, suffering a gunshot wound to his foot. Police reportedly suspect he committed a burglary at the Graciosa residence and then accidentally shot himself in the foot with an AR-15 rifle.

Detectives from the Beverly Hills Police Department reportedly found evidence that allegedly connected Maynor to Avant's shooting.

Police believe he was the only suspect involved and do not yet have a motive.

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• Beverly Hills Police Arrest Homicide Suspect - Beverly Hills Police Department

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (TCD) -- Jacqueline Avant, the wife of musical legend Clarence Avant, was fatally shot during a home invasion early Wednesday morning.

The Beverly Hills Police Department said they received a call at approximately 2:23 a.m. about a person shot on the 1100 block of Maytor Place. Officers on scene found a woman suffering from gunshot wounds, and they transported her to a nearby hospital. Avant, however, did not survive.

Police said the suspects were not on the scene when they arrived at Avant’s residence. They did not provide any descriptions or details about the suspects.

Beverly Hills Police said in a statement that it was "too early to determine a motive."

Chief Mark Stainbrook said in the news release, "I want to reassure the Beverly Hills community that your City remains one of the safest in the nation. Crime of any type will not be tolerated in our City and we will not rest until the suspects or suspect in this case are brought to justice."

KTLA-TV reports Stainbrook said in a news conference Wednesday, "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."

According to The Associated Press, no one else was injured during the shooting and nothing was taken from their home.

Stainbrook said, "I don’t think it’s a random attack but I can’t speculate on that."

According to KTLA, Jacqueline and Clarence have two children, one of whom is a former United States ambassador and is married to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

The family reportedly said in a statement, "The Entire Avant and Sarandos families wish to thank everyone for their outpouring of love, support and heartfelt condolences for Jacqueline Avant. Jacqueline was an amazing woman, wife, mother and philanthropist and a 55-year resident of Beverly Hills who has made an immeasurable positive impact on the arts community. She will be missed by her family, friends and all of the people she has helped throughout her amazing life."

Jacqueline served on boards of several organizations, including the Neighbors of Watts and UCLA’s International Student Center.

Her husband Clarence was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. He was known as the "Godfather of Black Music" and created record labels as well as one of the first Black-owned radio stations in the United States.

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