District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Jaylin Edwards, 27-years-old of Oxnard, was convicted on November 15, 2024, of all charges related to a 2019 shooting that injured two people, including a young girl who was left paralyzed. Edwards was found guilty of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. All charges are felonies. The jury also found true all special allegations, including causing great bodily injury (GBI) and personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing GBI. Edwards also admitted to additional aggravating factors of the crime involving great violence, being armed with and using a weapon, engaging in violent conduct, and that the victims were vulnerable.
On July 2, 2019, Edwards and a 17-year-old juvenile shot at a residence in Port Hueneme where they believed a man they were looking for lived. Inside that home, a family of five was sitting in their living room. At least 8 of the 12 gunshots that were fired hit the home, three of them striking the family members inside. A seven-year-old victim was struck in the head and her mother suffered gunshot wounds to her foot and thigh. Edwards and the juvenile fled the scene.
An investigation by the Port Hueneme Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office led them to the 17-year-old juvenile. He was arrested in July 2019 for the shooting and investigators recovered one of the two firearms used. Evidence collected led investigators to Edwards. The second weapon was never found.
The young victim was rushed to the hospital and eventually airlifted to Los Angeles Children’s Hospital where she spent three weeks in a coma. After three months in the hospital, she returned home but was left paralyzed on the left side of her body and has permanent cognitive impairment. Her mother required surgery to treat her gunshot wounds but was released the following day.
Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Horlick, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Major Crimes Gang Unit, prosecuted the case.
“This verdict marks a significant step toward closure for the victims, their loved ones, and the law enforcement team that spent months investigating this case,” Ms. Horlick said. “It is my hope that the jury’s swift verdict provides a sense of justice to the victims as they continue their lifelong healing journey.”
Edwards is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 46 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He faces a maximum of 73 years and 4 months to life in state prison. The minor co-offender was charged in juvenile court for the shooting and the case is pending in juvenile court.