On a Thursday in the autumn of 2018, the life of 24-year-old Quincy Anderson was cut short in a field along Tracy Road, near the dividing line between Shelby and Tipton counties in Tennessee. It was October 11th when authorities responded to the scene to find Anderson, a male, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. The initial investigation launched a search for suspects in the area, but it would be a combination of witness accounts and digital footprints that would soon point to an arrest.
Investigators learned that a man was seen getting into a red Chevy Aveo after gunshots were heard in the vicinity. That same vehicle was found wrecked just a mile from where Anderson’s body was discovered. A muddy and wet man had approached a nearby resident, claiming to have been in an all-terrain vehicle accident and asking to use her phone. After making a call, he was picked up and left the area. This seemingly chance encounter would prove to be a crucial link for law enforcement.
The wrecked vehicle was traced to the girlfriend of 27-year-old John Taylor of Covington. When police located her at her job, they observed her getting into a Ford Expedition. A subsequent traffic stop revealed Taylor lying down in the back of the SUV, and he was taken into custody. His girlfriend informed investigators that she had loaned her car to Taylor, and that he was armed with a handgun when he left. She also stated that he had called her to say he had wrecked the car and would get a ride with a friend to pick her up.
Further investigation uncovered that Taylor and Quincy Anderson had been in communication on the morning of the shooting, with the last call occurring just moments before the fatal shots were fired. The woman who had lent her phone to the man from the supposed ATV accident later identified Taylor from a photograph, solidifying his connection to the scene. John Taylor was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Quincy Anderson. He was held without bond.
