PATCH: LANHAM, MD — A fundraiser has been created to help with the funeral expenses for 16-year-old Jayda Medrano Moore of Greenbelt, who was fatally shot Monday while leaving her school, DuVal High School.
Jayda was a junior at the school and a basketball player with a dream of becoming a WNBA player. Her parent, Glendon Reid, set up the GoFundMe.
“(She was) loved by her coaches, fellow students, family and friends. She was so excited about turning 17 on Sept. 24,” Reid said. “My family and I are grieving her tragic death. We are so appreciative for any donations to help pay for funeral home expenses and burial. I am deeply saddened by my daughter’s loss and wished it was just a bad dream. May Jayda Medrano Moore R.I.P.”
Prince George’s County Police were called to a shooting near Palamar Drive and Woodstream Drive in Lanham the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 11. DuVal High School at 9880 Good Luck Road in Lanham and Robert Goddard Middle School at 9850 Good Luck Road in Lanham were on lockdown for about an hour.
Police disclosed that a teenage girl, later identified as Jayda, had been critically wounded. She died at the hospital shortly before 5:30 p.m. Investigators believe the teen was walking along Palamar Drive when she came upon some kind of dispute taking place between two groups of people. A gun was fired and the teen was hit. She was taken to an area hospital and was first listed in critical condition but later died, reports FoxDC.
“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.
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the tragic loss of a DuVal High School student,” the school district said in a statement. “Prince George’s County Public Schools extends our thoughts and deepest condolences to the student’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
Grief counselors and mental health professionals will be on campus Tuesday to support students and staff as they cope with the death.
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. The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information, they are asked to call @PGCrimeSolvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or submit a tip using the P3 Tips app.
