On the night of April 28, 2019, officers in South Bend, Indiana, responded to reports of gunfire in the 500 block of North William Street. Upon arrival, they discovered 19-year-old male Traychon R. Taylor lying unresponsive in the roadway, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he remained in critical condition until he succumbed to his injuries and passed away on April 30. A forensic autopsy subsequently ruled his death a homicide.
Taylor, a Chicago native who had been weeks away from graduating high school, was remembered by his family as a dedicated father and a young man who enjoyed basketball and drawing.
The investigation by the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit uncovered that the shooting stemmed from a botched robbery attempt involving a drug deal. Authorities determined that Taylor, along with associates Joe Nelson III, Jeremiah Jerome Williams, and Atlantis Jay Branch, had devised a plan to rob an acquaintance known as the 'White Weed Man.' Surveillance footage from a bar parking lot near William and Marion Streets captured the group in a silver vehicle coordinating with a small SUV occupied by Kyle Doroszko and a juvenile. As the transaction unfolded, Branch allegedly approached the SUV brandishing a firearm. In the ensuing chaos, the SUV sped away while Taylor was reportedly still inside or clinging to the vehicle. Gunfire was exchanged, with shots fired both at the SUV and from within it, leading to Taylor falling from the moving vehicle onto the street where he was later found.
Police moved quickly to apprehend those involved, arresting five individuals in connection with the death. Kyle Doroszko was arrested shortly after the incident and initially charged with murder and a firearm sentencing enhancement. Atlantis Jay Branch and Jeremiah Jerome Williams were charged with felony murder and attempted robbery, while Joe Nelson III faced charges of attempted robbery. A 17-year-old juvenile was also detained on suspicion of assisting a criminal.
The legal proceedings for Kyle Doroszko concluded in May 2021. Although prosecutors had sought a murder conviction, a jury found him guilty of the lesser included offense of involuntary manslaughter. Following the verdict, Doroszko was sentenced to fifteen and a half years in prison, with three years of that sentence suspended. The case highlighted a tragic convergence of youth, firearms, and a criminal scheme that ultimately cost a young father his life.
