A $10,000 reward is being offered for information on a teen boy who was murdered in a Palmdale drive-by shooting.
The teen, identified as 19-year-old Jacob Matthew Taylor, was fatally shot when a fight broke out at a park on Nov. 1, 2022.
Deputies responded to a shooting at Marie Kerr Park on the 39900 block of 30th Street West around 12:46 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators discovered a group of people were in the west parking lot when a fight broke out, but it was quickly broken up.
About 10 minutes later, a pickup truck drove into the lot and began firing at the crowd, striking three teenage victims.
The truck then sped away northbound on 30th Street West, authorities said.
Arriving deputies found Taylor unresponsive and with gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Two teen girls were also struck by gunfire. They were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries at the time.
“Losing Jacob so early in his life is extremely painful for our family,” said the victim’s parents, Monty and Jessica Taylor. “His two little sisters are broken-hearted. We loved him beyond words and we ache for him every day.”
The $10,000 reward is being offered by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects responsible.
“My heart goes out to this young man’s family who has been left with an unfillable void in their lives,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “The loss of a son, brother, and grandchild will be felt forever. I’m hopeful that providing this reward will help us find those responsible for Jacob’s murder. There needs to be accountability for this senseless loss of a precious life.”
Investigators said the shooting does not appear to be gang-related and are hoping the public can help track down the suspects responsible for Taylor’s murder.
“We are grateful for this reward, and pray that someone in our Antelope Valley community will come forward to help solve our son’s murder,” said the victim’s parents. “This isn’t only about justice for Jacob or helping us find closure. This is also about preventing whomever is responsible from devastating another family.”
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 and ask to speak with Detective Michael Haggerty or Detective Francis X. Hardiman. Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
