The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has reinstated a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Jacob Matthew Taylor, who was gunned down in a Palmdale park parking lot nearly four years ago. The move comes as detectives continue to work a case that has produced no suspect descriptions beyond a pickup truck seen fleeing the scene.
Taylor was killed just after 12:45 a.m. on November 1, 2022, when Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of gunfire at Marie Kerr Park in the 39900 block of 30th Street West, according to MyNewsLA.com. Deputies found Taylor suffering gunshot wounds in the park's parking lot; he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators say a fight had broken out among a group gathered in the park's west parking lot after hours, and about 10 minutes after that fight ended, unidentified suspects drove into the lot in a pickup truck and opened fire on the crowd. Two teenage girls were also wounded in the gunfire and survived after being hospitalized, according to FOX 11.
Taylor had graduated from high school in 2021 and was working toward becoming a psychologist before his death, the station reports. Friends and family held a vigil at the park following the shooting, calling for anyone with information to come forward.
A Reward That Kept Lapsing
This isn't the first time county leaders have dangled a reward in the case. The Board of Supervisors first approved a $10,000 reward in September 2023 on a motion from Supervisor Kathryn Barger, but that offer expired in December 2023 without an arrest, per the seed report. Under Chapter 4.50 of the Los Angeles County Code, county-funded rewards automatically expire after 90 days unless supervisors explicitly vote to extend or re-establish them, according to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The reward was renewed in 2026, nearly three years after the earlier offer expired.
Barger said Taylor's family is still waiting for justice four years after his death, and that she hopes the renewed reward will encourage someone with information to come forward. Even a small detail, she said, could help investigators solve the case and bring the family answers.
A Park With a History of Violence
Marie Kerr Park spans 57 acres in West Palmdale, including 20 acres set aside for parking, and is home to the Palmdale Amphitheater, a recreation center and athletic fields, according to Filming in Palmdale. It's a high-capacity municipal venue that regularly hosts large community festivals and outdoor concerts. The park hasn't been free of violence since Taylor's death, either — in March 2024, a shooting at the park's basketball court left one person wounded, according to a video by Key News Network.
Sheriff's homicide detectives have indicated the 2022 drive-by does not appear to be gang-related, though no detailed suspect descriptions or vehicle details beyond the pickup truck have surfaced, per Crime Solvers Central. Detectives with the Sheriff's Department continue investigating the killing and are seeking additional leads.
The Investigation
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Homicide Bureau are handling the investigation into Taylor's killing.
Anyone with information on Taylor's killing is urged to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau Detective Michael Haggerty at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or through lacrimestoppers.org.
