In the winter of 2020, a dispute between neighbors over loud music in a Mobile, Alabama apartment complex escalated into a fatal encounter, leaving one man dead and a police officer facing a murder charge. The victim, a 39-year-old man named Larry Taylor, was found with multiple gunshot wounds on the night of Monday, December 21, 2020, at the Avalon Plaza Apartments on Michael Boulevard.
The investigation into Taylor's death quickly led to a suspect who lived in the same building.
Johnathan Murphy, a 35-year-old off-duty Prichard police officer, was taken into custody the following day and charged with the murder of Larry Taylor. Reports from neighbors suggested that there had been ongoing animosity between the two men for about three months prior to the deadly shooting, stemming from disagreements about noise levels. One neighbor recalled hearing a commotion and arguing, followed by the sound of five or six gunshots.
Following his arrest, the Prichard Police Department terminated Murphy's employment. This was not the first time the officer had been involved in a fatal shooting. In 2017, Murphy had shot and killed a motorist during a traffic stop while on duty, though he was not charged in that incident. In connection with Taylor's death, Murphy was booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail. He was later released from jail.
