Exactly two years after 13-year-old Jayz Agnew was shot while raking leaves in his front yard, Prince George’s County police knocked on doors in the Maryland suburb, seeking help from the public.
Officers carried fliers and, when neighbors answered the door, explained that they are still looking for information about what happened. And notably, they’re still searching for the person or people who are responsible for the teen’s death.
As police canvassed around the Hillcrest Heights neighborhood, Agnew’s mother, Juanita, watched nearby, dressed in an orange hoodie. It had a picture of Jayz on it, and she said it humanizes the situation.
“There are so many homicides, and I don’t want it to just be another number,” Juanita said. “I want to make sure that Jayz’s story is memorable, because Jayz was a victim of senseless gun violence.”
Agnew, police said, was shot and killed on Nov. 8, 2022, just before 5:30 p.m. He was raking leaves in his front yard when he was shot, police said. He was treated at a local hospital but later died.
Now, Prince George’s County Police Major Michael Ebaugh said police do have some information about the case, but he declined to share it “for case integrity reasons.” Instead, Ebaugh said, they’re asking the public for assistance with any information they may have.
“It’s a matter of time before we’ll figure out who did this,” Ebaugh said.
While Juanita said she didn’t think it would take this long to solve the case, “We remain optimistic, and we have hope that it’s going to get better and we’re going to come to a closure.”
In March 2023, the Prince George’s County Council passed legislation that offers rebates to residents who buy surveillance cameras. The bill was named after Agnew, whose father testified before the council that he wished he had some type of camera outside their home when the shooting occurred.
Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information, and anyone who provides a tip can remain anonymous, Ebaugh said.
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