$10K reward offered in fatal Goodyear house party shooting of Jaguar Williams
Police seek information and offer a $10,000 reward after 19-year-old Jaguar Williams was fatally shot at a Goodyear house party. (Photo courtesy of the Goodyear Police Department)
Police in Goodyear are still searching for the killer responsible for the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old at a house party. The tragedy is raising concerns about how quickly late-night teen gatherings can get out of control.
'Your child came home that night. Mine didn't'
What we know:
Jaguar Williams, 19, was shot and killed at a house party over a month ago. Now, as police continue to search for a suspect, they are sending a warning to parents about massive parties promoted on social media.
"Your child came home that night. Mine didn't," said Jaguar's grandmother.
A heartbroken family is pleading for answers more than a month after a shooting left Williams dead.
"Someone knows what happened. Someone knows who killed him," his grandmother said.
Goodyear police say the violence erupted just before 2 a.m. on Aug. 15 at a house party near Citrus and Indian School roads.
"The party had been advertised on social media. This drew in approximately 100 people from across Arizona," Sgt. Mayra Reeson with the Goodyear Police Department said.
Police say the social media promotion brought a crowd of strangers.
"Investigators have learned that many people at the party knew one to two people. This wasn't a close-knit group of people. This wasn't a party where everybody knew each other," Reeson said.
That lack of connections creates a major hurdle for investigators and serves as a warning for parents.
"Snapchat, TikTok, you'll see them. And some of these parties, they've gone viral because they've gone wild," Reeson said.
Dig deeper:
Detective Mike Fisher with Silent Witness noted the rising danger of these social media invites.
"These house parties seem to be getting out of hand where a lot of young people are getting killed. They're getting shot. They're getting killed. On social media, they advertise these parties sometimes and total strangers show up to houses," Fisher said.
Investigators believe that multiple people fired guns after an altercation during the party, and partygoers fled the scene. But even in a sea of strangers, the police believe someone at that party knows something.
'I'm personally asking you to come forward'
What you can do:
"If you were at the party and have photographs, video, or any information about what happened that night, I'm personally asking you to come forward," Chief Brian Issitt of the Goodyear Police Department said.
The reward for information that leads to an arrest has been increased to up to $10,000. Anyone with information is asked to contact Goodyear Police at 623-932-1220 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. You can remain anonymous through Silent Witness.