The family of Jaquinn Sawyer, the 44-year-old man who was shot outside his home Monday night, is asking the public for help finding his killer and is offering a reward for information.
Sawyer, an Austin native, was a chef with one daughter who is a college student and a church member.
According to police, he was coming home Monday night and was shot multiple times at his doorstep at around 7:50 p.m.
Police said they don’t know if it was a hate crime or personal vendetta, but Sawyer’s family is asking the community for help.
Jonathan Todd, an activist, lives near Sawyers’s house and said he used to see him every day.
He said when he heard the shots, he ran out the door and found Sawyer’s body.
Todd is now leading the community response and organizing a balloon release as part of the initiative.
“He did not deserve this, and we do not deserve this because we are feeling the pain of losing someone close to us,” Todd said.
Pastor Ira Acree, lead pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, emphasized the importance of community involvement, urging anyone with knowledge about the crime to come forward.
“If anyone knows the person responsible for this crime, it’s imperative that you speak up, or you become a co-conspirator to this murder,” Ira Acree said.
Acree, in collaboration with the Leaders Network organized, planned to hold a news conference Thursday to announce the reward on North Mango Avenue, near the shooting.
The family plans to offer a $5,000 financial reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. The funds were gathered with the help of Sawyer’s neighbors.
“I’m devastated. We cannot get used to this type of violence in our community,” Todd said. “We will not be desensitized to this type of balance that happens in our community daily. We can’t. We can’t. I refuse. We are a close-knit community. Everybody help each other and we will not stand until we get justice. We are demanding justice.”