Suspect arrested in Jacqueline Avant case

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Jacqueline Avant, a philanthropist and the wife of legendary music executive Clarence Avant, killed at their home in Beverly Hills, California.

The Beverly Hills Police Department announced the arrest of Aariel Maynor on Thursday afternoon.

Maynor is currently on parole and was taken into custody early Wednesday by Los Angeles police after a burglary in a separate residence, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said.

Police recovered an AR-15 rifle at the home where Maynor was arrested. It was believed to have been used in the shooting of Jacqueline Avant. Maynor shot himself in the foot with the gun and is being treated before he can be booked into jail.

Authorities do not believe there are any other suspects in the Avant case. It was not immediately known if Maynor had an attorney.

Police were called to the Avants’ home early Wednesday after a 2:23 a.m. call reporting a shooting. Officers found Jacqueline Avant, 81, with a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital but did not survive.

Jacqueline Avant was a longtime local philanthropist who led organizations that helped low-income neighborhoods including Watts and South Los Angeles, and was on the board of directors of the International Student Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Avants’ daughter, Nicole Avant, is a film producer and former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and is married to Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

Tributes to Jacqueline Avant poured in Wednesday from across the country. She was remembered by former President Bill Clinton, basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson, music star Quincy Jones and Rep. Karen Bass (D-California).

TMZ first reported Jacqueline Avant’s death.