Police: 18-year-old killed friend, stole $7K to be used in music video shoot
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A Spanish Lake teenager is accused of fatally shooting an associate and stealing thousands of dollars from him that were to be used in a music video production.
According to the Ferguson Police Department’s probable cause statement, the shooting took place on the evening of February 29 in the 300 block of South Harvey Avenue.
Officers received a report of a shooting at the scene, then received a ShotSpotter notification of shots fired in the area.
Police found the victim, whose name has not been released, unconscious in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. He’d been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators found shell casings inside and outside the vehicle and noticed bullet holes in the driver’s side door.
Witnesses told police the shooting began inside the car, with the shooter exiting the vehicle, walking around to the driver’s side, and firing at the victim again before running away.
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The victim’s pockets had been turned inside out, and police discovered two bags of marijuana around the outside of the car near the front passenger door.
Meanwhile, firefighters en route to the scene noticed a man walking down the street, bleeding from his left hand. Firefighters stopped, tended to the man, and brought him to the hospital. The man claimed he’d been shot.
The man, later identified as Darrell Taylor, said he was riding in a car with someone. When the car stopped, Taylor said he went to change the music and suddenly heard gunfire.
The victim’s sister arrived at the scene of the shooting and told officers she’d given Taylor and her brother $7,000 earlier that evening for the purposes of recording a music video. However, police found no sign of the money at the scene.
Police claim the victim’s sister said Taylor called her for a ride after the shooting. When she picked him up, she noticed a handgun that appeared to have blood on it. She dropped Taylor off alongside the road, and Taylor got out and continued walking.
Police went to the hospital to question Taylor. He told investigators he’d been shot while changing music in the victim’s car. Police took Taylor into custody.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Taylor, 18, with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and armed criminal action. He’s being held without bond for the time being, pending an upcoming hearing.
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