John Jefferson
Background: The home where Jalen Whitlock was shot to death during her child’s birthday party (KHOU/YouTube). Inset: Jalin Foreman (Houston Police Department).
A Texas man is accused of shooting his ex in the face in front of their children after crashing a birthday party for one of the kids.
Jalin J. Foreman, 27, is charged with the murder of Jalen Whitlock, 25, Houston police announced Sunday. Whitlock died after being shot in the face in her home as she and her children were having a birthday party for her 6-year-old.
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According to a criminal complaint, Foreman came to the door of the townhome where Whitlock lived shortly before 8:30 p.m. He was allegedly “trying to come to the house to give his daughter a birthday [gift], but [Whitlock] had told [Foreman] that he cannot come to the house.”
Whitlock’s boyfriend of about a year is the one who answered the door, police say, and he and Foreman allegedly started arguing due to a prior incident in which Foreman had shot at Whitlock’s home.
Foreman “taunted him and said things about fighting, shooting and to come to the back to fight,” the complaint says. Foreman then “became more aggressive and went back to his truck which was parked directly in front of the house,” while Whitlock’s children “were all together near the front entrance of the house.”
As Foreman allegedly continued to yell, Whitlock’s boyfriend went to the kitchen to get a gun himself, because Foreman “kept talking about shooting and fighting.”
Whitlock’s boyfriend said that as he was walking back toward the front door, Foreman opened fire, the complaint says. The boyfriend says he fired back. At that point, Whitlock allegedly “yelled his name and grabbed the kids near the front door.”
After Whitlock’s boyfriend shut the front door, he then saw Whitlock had been shot and she was on the floor. He then “told the kids to go upstairs,” the complaint says.
Another witness, a neighbor, allegedly told police that she saw a man, later identified as Foreman, drive up to the home in a white Chevy Tahoe, get out, and scream at the house before he “shot at least 5 times at the townhome.”
“I’m not scare[d] of you,” Foreman allegedly screamed, according to the witness. “I know where you live,” he also said.
Surveillance video allegedly shows a white SUV leaving the scene before returning moments later. An additional witness told police that they saw Foreman holding a gun while at a stop sign in the Chevy Tahoe.
“[I] will reload, come outside, let’s finish this,” Foreman allegedly said, according to the witness.
Foreman is said to have fled the scene in a white Chevrolet Tahoe.
In the days after the shooting, police say they quickly identified Foreman as the suspect, although they did not identify him immediately.
“We feel confident we’re going to obviously find this individual,” Houston Police Lt. R. Willkens said on Friday, according to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported. “Hopefully, if he’s smart, he’ll turn himself in and come tell us exactly why he did what he did.”
Police were still searching for Foreman as of Monday morning.
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