Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Criminal Justice

Man Arrested For Killing Of Jaqueline Avant, Local Philanthropist Who Was Shot In Her Beverly Hills Home

Jaqueline and Clarence Avant dressed in formal outfits, photographed at a pre-GRAMMY party.
Jacqueline Avant and Clarence Avant attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean "Diddy" Combs on Jan. 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills.
(
Alberto E. Rodriguez
/
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

A man is now in custody in connection with the killing of local philanthropist, Jacqueline Avant. Avant, 81, was fatally shot early Wednesday morning at her home in Beverly Hills.

At a news conference Thursday, Beverly Hills Police Department officials said multiple surveillance videos show a vehicle heading east out of Beverly Hills shortly after Avant was shot with an AR-15. They said they have tied that vehicle to Aariel Maynor, 29.

About an hour after police were called to the Avant home, Maynor was picked up outside a home in the Hollywood Hills, where authorities said he was armed with an AR-15.

According to the LAPD, Maynor accidentally shot himself in the foot during an attempted break-in at a home off Beachwood Canyon. An LAPD watch commander who was aware of the earlier shooting in Beverly Hills believed there might be a link to that attack and notified Beverly Hills police.

Support for LAist comes from

Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said it's too early to offer a potential motive for the killing.

“Our focus now,” Stainbrook said, “has transitioned from finding a suspect to a continuing investigation that will lead to a successful prosecution.”

Avant's shooting death, highly unusual in Beverly Hills, follows an increase in rise in what police call "follow-home" robberies. Last week, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said at a police commission meeting: ""We haven't seen a robbery series like this in decades. And we intend to not allow it to continue.”

In response, the LAPD has created a new task force to add resources from the department's Gang Narcotics Division and Metropolitan Division to help investigate well over 100 follow-home robberies.

Avant was the wife of legendary music executive Clarence Avant. Known as the "Black Godfather," he was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He and a private security guard were also at the home at the time of the shooting and they both were uninjured.

There has been an outpouring of condolences and support for Avant's family. She was a prominent donor to a variety of organizations, people and causes, including the UCLA International Student Center and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Support for LAist comes from

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist