Jyleel Decovas Solomon, a 23-year-old male, was killed on November 6, 2017, in Milledgeville, Georgia, during a shootout. Solomon was a passenger in a car with three other individuals, all of whom were armed. The group was involved in a drive-by shooting when someone in their vehicle opened fire on a man standing outside a residence. That individual returned fire, and Solomon was struck in the head.
Following the exchange of gunfire, the driver of the vehicle, Malik Taylor, along with
passengers Jemerius Goodman and a 15-year-old, drove Solomon toward a hospital. They stopped at a gas station to seek help from a law enforcement officer who was there. Solomon was then transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Though Solomon was killed by return fire, the three other occupants of the car were charged with his murder. The prosecution argued that because Solomon's death occurred during the commission of a felony—the drive-by shooting—his companions were legally responsible. This is known as the felony murder rule. All three were charged with felony murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
Malik Taylor and Jemerius Goodman were subsequently convicted of felony murder. Taylor received a life sentence, a conviction that was upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court in March 2023 after his lawyers unsuccessfully argued that he was acting in self-defense. Goodman was also convicted of felony murder and several other offenses and received a life sentence plus 60 years. The Georgia Supreme Court also affirmed his conviction in May 2022. The case of the 15-year-old was handled within the juvenile justice system.
