Police release identity of Prince George's County teen shot, killed walking home from school
Greenbelt teen shot, killed walking home from school
The 16-year-old girl who was shot and killed near her high school in Lanham Monday has been identified as Jayda Medrano-Moore. Police are still looking for the shooter. FOX 5's Lili Zheng reports from Prince George's County with the latest details.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - Police in Prince George’s County have released the identity of the 16-year-old girl killed while walking home from her high school Monday.
Jayda Medrano-Moore, of Greenbelt, was shot around 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 11 after getting out from DuVal High School. Police say the teen was in the 9800 block of Palamar Drive in Lanham when she came upon two groups of people who appeared to be having a dispute.
At this time, it’s not clear if those involved were also high school students but at some point, Jayda was near the other individuals when a shot was fired and she was hit. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead shortly after.
"She was a dedicated student, beloved daughter, cherished friend and an inspiration to many," Prince George’s County Public Schools Superintendent Millard House II said following the shooting. "As we mourn her untimely departure, we must also confront the harsh reality such tragedy should never have occurred in Prince George’s County or in any other county.
Jayda was a junior and a member of the girls’ varsity basketball team. A GoFundMe for the teen says she had aspirations to play in the WNBA and was excited to be turning 17 on Sept. 24.
Prince George's County Public Schools released a statement on social media, saying, "It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the tragic loss of a DuVal High School student. Grief counselors and mental health professionals will be on campus tomorrow to support students and staff as they cope with this loss."
Extra security is also in place at DuVal High School. Superintendent House says they plan to expedite security enhancements that were already planned for the school.
"Let us honor her memory by advocating for a safer environment for our youth, fostering the dialogue we know we need to have and supporting each other in this time of grief," House said.
Police have not named any suspects publicly. They have also not disclosed how many people they may be looking for or if only one person was responsible. They are working with DuVal school officials and are urging anyone with knowledge of what happened to come forward.
"We are determined to find the suspect who callously, in broad daylight, killed one of our teenagers in broad daylight," said Prince George’s County Police Acting Deputy Chief Zachary O’Lare.
FOX 5 spoke to Jayda's father, Glen Reid, via Zoom. He lives in San Antonio. He wants police to bring his daughter's killer to justice and can't understand why anyone would hurt her.
"She's a lovable person, she has a good soul. She just has this humbleness to her that everybody misses. She's quiet, she's very nice, not confrontational. People tell me it's always the good ones that get hurt, and I didn't know until it happened to me and our family," Reid said. "I'm just heartbroken to see or even just to hear the story. We want justice for her. We want justice for Jayda. I believe law enforcement is going to do a job and solve this case."
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, a nonprofit organization formed after the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the suspect and authorities are offering a $25,000 reward. Anyone with information is asked to contact Prince George's County police at 301-516-2512.