The following synopsis details the events surrounding the death of Juvan Maurice Newman, a young Black / African American male who died on May 3, 2025, in Eastpointe, Michigan.
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, 2025, a violent altercation erupted in the parking lot of a Foot Locker store located near the intersection of Kelly Road and Eight Mile Road in Eastpointe. The incident began around 2:45 p.m. when two separate groups of individuals encountered one another.
According to investigators, tensions flared between the groups due to a prior dispute involving Dejuan Jermain Taylor, a 21-year-old man from Detroit, and the deceased brother of Tyjaune Pierre Morris-Turner, a member of the opposing group. The confrontation escalated quickly from a verbal argument into a physical fight after Morris-Turner exited a Jeep Compass with a firearm at his side.
As the situation intensified, Juvan Maurice Newman and another individual, 18-year-old Steven Edward Gardin Jr., exited the Jeep to intervene and join the fray. Dejuan Taylor was reportedly overpowered during the scuffle and pinned to the ground by Newman. Seeing her brother subdued, Dejuan’s sister, 19-year-old Lakylia Sheila Taylor, retreated to her vehicle to retrieve an unregistered handgun. She returned to the fight and fired multiple shots. One of the bullets struck Newman, who was on top of her brother at the time. Authorities later determined that the specific act of shooting Newman was a lawful act of defense of another, as he was actively pinning Dejuan to the ground. Consequently, prosecutors did not file homicide charges against Lakylia Taylor for Newman's death.
However, the violence continued as the other men attempted to disengage from the fight. Prosecutors allege that after shooting Newman, Lakylia Taylor turned her weapon on the others as they tried to separate themselves from the struggle. She fatally shot Gardin and seriously wounded Morris-Turner. In the chaos, she also accidentally struck her brother, Dejuan. Despite his injuries, Dejuan Taylor reportedly stood up, took the gun dropped by the injured Morris-Turner, collected magazines from the ground, and fled the scene in his sister's vehicle.
Law enforcement responded to the chaotic scene to find Newman and Gardin suffering from gunshot wounds; both were transported to a local hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. Morris-Turner survived his wounds. Lakylia Taylor turned herself in to the Eastpointe Police Department on May 5, 2025. Following an investigation by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, she was charged with second-degree murder for the death of Gardin, assault with intent to murder for the shooting of Morris-Turner, tampering with evidence, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of felony firearm. She was ordered held on a $2.5 million bond.
Dejuan Taylor was also taken into custody and arraigned on charges stemming from the aftermath of the shooting. He faced counts of tampering with evidence, firearms larceny, carrying a concealed weapon, and larceny of less than $200. His bond was set at $250,000. Officials noted that while self-defense is permissible under the law, the continued use of force against those attempting to retreat constituted a criminal act, leading to the severe charges filed against Lakylia Taylor for the additional victims. Legal proceedings were scheduled to continue with a probable cause conference later in May 2025.
