Five years after Jerod “JJ” Jeffrey was killed outside a Schertz apartment complex, his family is begging witnesses to break their silence and help bring justice.
SAN ANTONIO — Five years after 21-year-old Jerod “JJ” Jeffrey was shot and killed outside a Schertz apartment complex, his family is renewing their plea for witnesses to come forward and help solve the case.
Jeffrey was found dead on March 12, 2021, in the driver’s seat of a silver Mercedes parked outside the Sycamore Creek Apartments at 1000 Elbel Road. Police said he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Witnesses reported seeing someone speaking with Jeffrey moments before the shooting. Authorities have not identified a suspect nor have they released a motive.
“[Friends] said that he was going to meet someone, but it’s not anyone that they knew,” said JJ’s aunt, Junel Jeffrey.
Family members say what troubles them most is the possibility that someone nearby may have witnessed the shooting.
“There was a guy who lived in front of where this took place,” Junel said. “He saw it. He said he was frozen in place and couldn’t move.”
Five years later, they are still wondering whether that witness ever spoke with investigators.
Jeffrey moved to Texas years earlier with Junel, who was stationed at Fort Hood at the time. His mother, Janice Jeffrey, joined them in Texas in 2016.
At the time of the shooting, Jeffrey had been staying with his mother at the Sycamore Creek Apartments after the February 2021 winter storm flooded his own apartment.
But Janice was in the hospital fighting serious health complications when the tragedy unfolded.
“I was actually fighting for my own life when all this took place,” she said. “My kidneys, my whole system was on its way of shutting down.”
She said she learned about her son’s death through social media.
“I found out about JJ being shot through Facebook,” she said. “The pictures were posted on Facebook before I even got a call from the detectives telling me what had happened.”
The night before the shooting, the two had spoken over FaceTime.
“The last words I said to my son were, ‘I love you,’” Janice said. “He said, ‘I love you too, and we will talk tomorrow.’ Not knowing those would be the last words that I ever said to my child.”
Jeffrey was a graduate of Steele High School. After taking a few years off following graduation, family members say he decided he wanted to go to college.
He planned to study kinesiology at Prairie View A&M University.
“When he set his mind out to do something, he was going to do it,” Junel said.
She said Jeffrey was passionate about fitness and helping others stay healthy.
“JJ was fit, he was solid,” said Jeffrey’s aunt, Stacy Jeffrey.
“He knew how to get himself in shape and how to get others to do it too,” Junel added.
Family members say Jeffrey dreamed about building a life that included a career, a family and children.
“I saw a note that he wrote talking about what he wanted in life — getting married, having kids, graduating from school,” Junel said. “That’s the hard part.”
Since Jeffrey’s death, the family says their lives have changed dramatically.
Janice moved away from Texas and now lives in Georgia. Junel has also relocated to the East Coast.
“Our family is not the same without him,” said Junel.
“If I had a rough day, he would just walk in and smile, and I would forget what kind of day I was having,” said Janice.
Family members say investigators have continued updating them on the case every 90 days, but they believe someone in the community holds the key to solving it.
“Our focus was on figuring out who knows something, because we know somebody knows something,” Junel said.
“If you see something, say something. Don’t hold it in. Don’t be scared,” said Stacy. “We need closure, and we need it now.”
Police have increased the reward to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.
“Someone has said something in these five years to somebody,” Junel said. “We want to give the reward to someone.”
For Jeffrey’s mother, justice would not erase the loss — but it could bring peace.
“It won’t bring JJ back, but it will give us some type of closure,” said Janice.
Now, five years later, love ones are pleading for someone to finally come forward.
“Please, this cannot go on for another year,” Janice said. “Let this five-year mark be the last year we have to do this story.”
Schertz police say the investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact Schertz Police or Crime Stoppers, where tips can be submitted anonymously.
Investigators say even a small detail could be the piece of information needed to finally move the case forward.
To contact Detective Weston of the Schertz Police Department, call 210-619-1224 or e-mail jweston@schertz.com. You can also reach the Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers to leave an anonymous tip by calling 877-403-8477 (TIPS) or visit guadalupecountycrimestoppers.org.