A Texas mother was shot and killed at her 6-year-old child’s birthday party, Houston police said.
Authorities say 25-year-old Jaylen Whitlock was shot at approximately 8:35 p.m. on Thursday, September 12th, in the foyer of a townhouse on Locksley Road in Houston.
Suspect Jalynn J. Foreman, 27, turned himself in to Houston on Monday, Sept. 16, and was booked into the Harris County Jail. He is charged with murder, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses told police that Foreman drove up to the home during the party, fired at least five rounds into the townhouse and began yelling, “I’m not scared of you,” “I know where you live” and “Bring it on,” among other things.
Foreman then drove away, but returned a few minutes later yelling, “This is it,” according to the complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, Whitlock’s boyfriend told police that Foreman, the father of her two children, “wanted to come over to the house to give his daughter a birthday gift,” but Whitlock told him “he couldn’t come over.”
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According to the criminal complaint, Whitlock’s boyfriend said he saw Foreman come to the house and leave gifts on the front porch. He told police the children came downstairs to get the gifts and the two got into an argument shortly thereafter.
The boyfriend alleges Foreman began taunting him, “telling him he would fight, shoot and tell him to come behind him so they could fight,” the lawsuit states.
Foreman then allegedly returned to his truck. “(The boyfriend) stated he believed Foreman went back to his truck to get a gun because he kept talking about shooting guns and getting into fights,” the complaint states.
“(The boyfriend) then went back into the kitchen and picked up one of (the victim’s) guns. (The boyfriend) stated that as he returned to the front door the defendant fired a shot, at which point (the boyfriend) shot back at the defendant. (The boyfriend) stated he then closed the door and saw (Whitlock’s) bullets on the floor,” the lawsuit alleges.
Police say Foreman then fled the scene.
Foreman’s lawyer declined to comment.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 170 languages.
