EASTPOINTE, Mich. – A judge in Macomb County has set a trial date for June 9, 2026, for a woman from Detroit charged with firing a weapon in a Foot Locker parking lot, resulting in the deaths of two men and seriously injuring another amid a rapidly escalating confrontation on May 3, 2025.
Lakylia Sheila Taylor, 20 years old, is facing accusations that include second-degree murder, intent to commit homicide, evidence tampering, illegal possession of a concealed firearm, and two charges for felony use of a firearm. Prosecutors allege that she retrieved an unregistered handgun from her car and discharged several rounds after witnessing her brother being assaulted by three men in the parking lot located on 8 Mile Road close to Gratiot Avenue.
Her brother, Dejuan Taylor, who is 22, is facing allegations of tampering with evidence and misdemeanor theft for reportedly taking the gun and ammunition magazines from one of the victims before escaping the scene with his sister.
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As reported by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, the altercation started just before 3 p.m. when the siblings, along with others, arrived at the store and approached a parked Jeep Compass. An argument swiftly escalated into a physical confrontation between Dejuan Taylor and Tyjaune Pierre Morris-Turner, 22, from Detroit.
Prosecutors claim that Morris-Turner got out of the Jeep wielding a weapon, and two additional individuals — Steven Edward Gardin Jr., 23, and Juvan Maurice Newman, 24, both from Detroit — joined in the melee, bringing Dejuan Taylor to the ground.
Lakylia Taylor reported to investigators that she ran to her vehicle, obtained her firearm, and returned to the fight. She acknowledged shooting at Newman, who was on top of her brother, resulting in his death. As Gardin and Morris-Turner attempted to retreat, authorities state she kept shooting, ultimately killing Gardin and leaving Morris-Turner in critical condition. Dejuan Taylor also sustained injuries during the incident.
The siblings fled in Lakylia's car. She turned herself in to law enforcement two days later on May 5.
“This was a senseless act of violence,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido in a statement. “Young lives are lost and irreparably harmed due to this behavior. While self-defense for oneself and others is permitted, vigilante justice is never acceptable.”
A pretrial hearing for Lakylia Taylor is scheduled for January 21, 2026. Dejuan Taylor has separate court appearances regarding his lesser charges.
Gardin and Newman were declared dead at the site of the incident. Morris-Turner remains in critical condition in the hospital.
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