In the winter of 2017, the life of Brandon Lee Taylor, a 28-year-old African American man, was tragically cut short in Huntington, West Virginia. On January 24th, Taylor was fatally shot inside a residence located in the 2700 block of 9th Avenue. Another man, Royaire Elterro Deray Churchill, who was 24 at the time, was also shot and wounded in the incident but survived his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to identify a suspect, Kelly Lee Shanks Powell Jr.,
a 24-year-old from Pontiac, Michigan, the same city Taylor was originally from. According to Churchill's testimony, he had been in Huntington for about a week visiting Taylor, an old friend. On January 23rd, Powell joined them at the house, and the three men spent the day together, with no apparent signs of conflict.
The friendly atmosphere took a dark turn in the early hours of the next morning. Churchill recounted that as he was nearly asleep on the couch, Powell stood up, went to the kitchen, and then returned with a firearm. Powell first shot Churchill, with one bullet striking his arm and another grazing his head. He then turned the gun on Taylor, shooting him twice in the chest and head. After the shooting, Powell retrieved a bag of his belongings from the kitchen and fled the scene.
Following the incident, while recovering in the hospital, Churchill was able to identify Powell to detectives from two mugshot lineups. However, an arrest was not made immediately. U.S. Marshals apprehended Powell on July 7, 2017, in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was subsequently extradited back to West Virginia to face charges.
Initially, Powell was charged with first-degree murder and malicious wounding. His trial was delayed pending the return of DNA evidence from the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory. Ultimately, in January 2019, Kelly Lee Powell Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in Brandon Taylor's death. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the crime.
