In September 2022, a workplace dispute in Slidell, Louisiana, tragically ended the life of 22-year-old Zakary Stewart. Stewart, a native of Cullman, Alabama, had recently relocated to Slidell and was working as a salesman at a local Hyundai dealership. The fatal encounter was the culmination of a growing animosity with a coworker, 25-year-old Brian Montrell Taylor.
The tension between the two men reportedly began after Taylor sent several unwanted text messages to Stewart's girlfriend.
On the afternoon of September 16, 2022, the feud between Stewart and Taylor escalated into a physical fight outside one of the dealership's service bays. During the altercation, both men threw punches and sustained bloody noses before being separated by their colleagues. While a manager was leading Stewart away, Taylor ran into the service bay and returned with a handgun. Despite the pleas of coworkers to de-escalate the situation, Taylor chambered a round. The two men moved towards each other and began fighting again, at which point Taylor shot Stewart in the chest.
Following the shooting, Taylor fled the scene after retrieving a backpack from the service bay. He was apprehended a short time later and charged with manslaughter. In August 2024, a St. Tammany Parish jury found Brian Montrell Taylor guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of Zakary Stewart. During the five-day trial, Taylor's defense team argued that he acted in self-defense. However, the jury sided with the prosecution, which contended that Taylor was the aggressor when he introduced a firearm into the conflict and ultimately shot Stewart. Taylor's sentencing was scheduled for the month following his conviction.
