In the winter of 2020, a long-standing dispute culminated in a violent altercation in the parking lot of an O'Charley's restaurant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, leaving two men dead. One of the victims was Michael Robert Russell, a 40-year-old male. The incident unfolded on the night of Friday, January 24, 2020, following a confrontation that began inside the restaurant.
The conflict reportedly started when Russell's daughter recognized another patron, believing him to have been involved
in a prior robbery against her. This initial encounter escalated and spilled out into the parking lot. In the ensuing chaos, another man, 21-year-old Elijsha Taylor, became involved in a physical altercation with Russell. Taylor then fatally shot Russell. In the immediate aftermath, a friend of Russell, Terry A. Stice II, retaliated by shooting and killing Taylor.
Emergency services were called to the scene just after 10 p.m. Taylor was pronounced dead in the parking lot, while Michael Russell was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the following day, on January 25, 2020. The investigation that followed led to the arrest of Terry Stice II.
Stice was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder, though these were later amended. He ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. For his role in the events that transpired, Stice was sentenced to a 15-year prison term. The investigation determined that the shootings were the result of the ongoing dispute between the parties involved and not related to the restaurant itself.
