It was a stunning event, a gunfight inside a Miramar Walgreens store in the middle of the day, and now, another stunning turn of events: the man charged with murder in that February shooting has been freed. NBC6’s Ari Odzer reports
It was a stunning event, a gunfight inside a Miramar Walgreens store in the middle of the day, and now, another stunning turn of events: the man charged with murder in that February shooting has been freed.
Jamie Taylor went from jail to hugging his mom in a lawyer’s office.
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WATCH HERE“All charges, including homicide, manslaughter and accompanying charges, have been dismissed,” said Taylor’s lawyer, Andy Rier.
Police said Anthony Souvenir was the victim of the shootout, but the Broward County State Attorney’s office dropped the charges because after reviewing the evidence, they determined Taylor was justified in using his weapon in self-defense under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law.
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Taylor has a concealed weapons permit and no criminal record. Tayor said when Souvenir pulled a gun, he reacted to save himself.
“Unfortunate that it had to happen, I just know that at the moment it was kill or be killed, and I’m just happy that I’m able to be free and get back to my life with my family,” Taylor said.
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Rier said his client was the actual victim.
“And a lot of times, it’s a blurry line what the difference is between a victim and a defendant,” Rier said. “I thank God he was able to defend himself because I don’t think he would be here if he wasn’t.”
The initial police report said Souvenir was the aggressor. Taylor said he was minding his own business when Souvenir tried to pick a fight.
“I guess he thought I was looking at his girl or something, and he told me, I’m looking too hard,” Taylor explained. “He was all the way at the back of the store, he walked by me, said what he had to say, and then came all the way from the back of the store to the front of the store he told me, I’m finna show you, he says I’m gonna show you.”
That’s when, Taylor said, this man he had never met in his life pulled a gun.
Taylor was a high school football star at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, and also played college football at Northwest Missouri State University. Now he plans on finishing his bachelor's degree, but he’s still traumatized, and so is his mother.
“I got on the scene and the first thing when they rolled the back windows down, he said momma, don’t cry, I’m gonna be OK,” said Taylor’s mom, Nikitha Edmond, describing her first reaction that day.
Taylor waived his Miranda rights and answered police questions without a lawyer, convinced that he had acted within the law. His attorney says the security camera video from inside the store corroborates Taylor’s version of events, but we have not been able to see that video.
