Teenage Boy Charged with Murder in Shooting of 16-Year-Old Girl near Maryland High School
A teenage boy has been charged with murder in the tragic shooting of a 16-year-old girl near DuVal High School in Maryland. The incident occurred on September 11, as the victim, Jayda Medrano-Moore, was walking home from school in Lanham.
According to Police Chief Malik Aziz of Prince George’s County, the suspect, a 17-year-old boy from Glenarden, was arrested and charged with murder. Chief Aziz stated that Jayda had tried to intervene in a dispute between two groups when someone pulled out a gun and shot her. She was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the incident.
Charging documents reveal that the suspect confessed to a friend that he was fighting over a gun with Jayda when the gun accidentally fired, fatally wounding the girl. The suspect, a student at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, is now facing first- and second-degree murder charges, as well as assault and firearms charges.
Police are currently searching for the murder weapon and are unsure how the suspect acquired the gun. Chief Aziz also expressed his frustration, stating, It seems like we are here way too often. I’m frustrated that the violent few are disrupting the education and promising future of our great children in Prince George’s County. Now that we’ve made this arrest, I’m hoping to bring some degree of comfort to the family.
Jayda was with her brother at the time of the shooting, according to a previous report by NBC affiliate WRC-TV. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks extended her condolences to Jayda’s family and described her as a star in every sense. She expressed her devastation at the loss, stating, It shouldn’t have happened. It didn’t have to happen.
The suspect is being treated as an adult and is currently being held without bond. Authorities have confirmed that he had no prior contact with the police. As the investigation continues, the community mourns the loss of Jayda and seeks justice for the tragedy that has occurred.
Source: [Prince George’s County police]
