In the early summer of 2016 in Aurora, Colorado, a family was struck by a tragedy that would unfold in a series of heart-wrenching public revelations. On the night of June 3rd, 10-year-old Anthony Jaliel Lujan Hemmings-Taylor was fatally shot in an apartment in the 1500 block of Galena Street. Initially, his grieving family, including his grandfather Anthony Taylor, portrayed the event as a tragic accident, stating that the young boy had accidentally shot himself.
This narrative of a self-inflicted gunshot wound was shared at a vigil and march held in his honor, where community members and local leaders gathered to mourn the loss of a child known affectionately as 'Baby Anthony.'
The community's grief was soon compounded by a significant development in the investigation. The Adams County Coroner's Office contradicted the family's initial account, ruling Anthony's death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. This official determination shifted the focus of the investigation and led to the arrest of Anthony's 17-year-old brother, Jalecc Celanco Taylor. The older brother was taken into custody and faced charges of negligent child abuse resulting in death.
Further investigation revealed that on the night of the incident, the two brothers had been handling a loaded handgun. While Jalecc initially told police that his younger brother had shot himself, the evidence led prosecutors to charge him. He was charged as a juvenile with negligent child abuse resulting in death and being a juvenile in possession of a handgun. In November of that year, Jalecc Taylor pleaded guilty to the charges. In February 2017, he was sentenced to two years of supervised probation. As part of his sentence, the judge ordered him to either attend school or maintain full-time employment. The District Attorney noted that despite the legal sentence, the young man would carry the memory of the tragic event for the rest of his life.
