Maurice Lamard Amos Jr. was a 20-year-old African-American man living in Jacksonville, Florida, when his life was cut short by sudden violence in the summer of 2017. Loved ones remembered him as a young man with a future ahead of him, and his death left a void in the lives of his family and friends.
On the night of Monday, August 21, 2017, Maurice was inside his home on the 7400 block of Fernandina Avenue, in a neighborhood near the intersection of Lem Turner Road and Edgewood Avenue West. At about 11:30 p.m., he received a phone call and stepped outside the residence to take it. Six other people were inside the home at the time, including an 11-year-old boy and two teenage girls, aged 13 and 17.
Shortly after Maurice went outside, witnesses reported that a vehicle pulled up. According to accounts given to investigators, someone inside the car opened fire, striking Maurice multiple times. He was hit in his arms and torso, and one bullet grazed his head.
An incident report noted that a bullet to his stomach had passed completely through his body. The vehicle and the shooter or shooters within it immediately fled the scene.
Emergency services were called, and paramedics rushed to help the critically wounded young man. During their life-saving efforts, they reportedly discovered a stolen firearm in Maurice’s pants. He was transported to a local hospital, but despite the efforts of medical staff, Maurice Lamard Amos Jr. died from his injuries in the early hours of Tuesday, August 22, 2017. His death was one of two separate shootings that occurred in Jacksonville within the span of about an hour that night.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation into Maurice's death. Detectives canvassed the area and spoke to witnesses, but a clear description of the assailant or the vehicle used in the attack did not emerge. The motive for the shooting remained unclear, and with little information to go on, the investigation quickly faced challenges. No suspects were publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in the years following the shooting.
The case has grown cold, leaving Maurice's family without answers or justice. The sudden and violent nature of his death left his community in shock and searching for an explanation. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has continued to ask for the public's help, hoping that someone who knows something about the crime will come forward.
The investigation into the murder of Maurice Lamard Amos Jr. remains open. Authorities urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500 or via email at [email protected]. For those who wish to remain anonymous, First Coast Crime Stoppers offers a possible cash reward of up to $3,000 for a tip that leads to an arrest. The anonymous tip line can be reached at (866) 845-TIPS.
