In the early morning hours of a Saturday in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a tragedy unfolded in the parking lot of a local European bakery. Ervin Fejzic, a 37-year-old man known as a cherished member of the community, was preparing to open his family's business, the Fejzic Euro Bakery, on Scenic Highway. A recent father and a man who ran the establishment with his mother, his life was cut short by an act of violence that morning. Responding to a 911 call around 7 a.m.
about a person being shot, Lawrenceville police officers arrived to find Fejzic unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the officers' efforts to render aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The killing shocked those who knew Fejzic and the local Bosnian community he was a part of. He was described as an outstanding person who had recently welcomed a child. The investigation into his death moved swiftly. Lawrenceville police began reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses. Their efforts quickly led them to a suspect. The investigation suggested the motive was a tragically small sum of money, with an arrest warrant later revealing that Fejzic was allegedly killed with an assault-style rifle during an armed robbery for just $50.
Within a day of the fatal shooting, authorities arrested 38-year-old Leroy Taylor of McDonough in connection with the crime. He was taken into custody and booked into the Gwinnett County jail. Police stated that they did not believe any other suspects were involved in the incident. Taylor faced a series of serious charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Following his arrest, a judge denied him bond, and he was placed on suicide watch while incarcerated. The swift arrest brought some measure of relief to the shaken community, with the local police chief personally visiting nearby businesses to reassure them of their safety.
