On March 26, 2023, at about 4:45 a.m., officers in Amarillo responded to a shooting at Amarillo Boulevard West and North McMasters Street. Three people were found with gunshot wounds: 21-year-old Javaurian Penns and two female teenagers, 17 and 18. All were taken to a local hospital; Penns was pronounced dead, and the two teenage victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to recover.

Penns, known by nicknames Jay and J-Var, attended Palo Duro High School and was a father to two daughters, Kamilla and Londyn Dream Penns. The Amarillo Police Department’s Homicide Unit opened an investigation and asked the public for help identifying suspects. No arrests have been announced; authorities increased the reward for information in September 2023 and continued to urge tips through the Homicide Unit and Amarillo Crime Stoppers as of December 2024.

If anyone has information about the shooting or remembers seeing activity near Amarillo Boulevard West and North McMasters Street that morning, please contact the Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers.