Jaylen Tolbert was an 18-year-old student at John F. Kennedy High School in Elk Grove, California, when he was shot and killed on April 9, 2022. He was attending a house party at a short-term rental when intruders wearing ski masks forced their way in. The assailants struck a partygoer who answered the door; Jaylen intervened and struggled with the attackers and was shot, later dying in a friend’s arms.

Jaylen’s family and community remember him as loving, caring, and full of potential; he was looking forward to graduating, playing football, and starting a T-shirt business. The Elk Grove Police Department is investigating, the rental property has been removed from the listing platform, and the company has been cooperating with police. No arrests have been made and the suspects remain at large.

If anyone was at that party or has information about the intruders or their whereabouts, please share what you know with investigators.