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Police arrest killing suspect
Witnesses say victim tried to rob man at local bar
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
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Police have charged a La Plata man who told authorities he was a bounty hunter with shooting and killing a 24-year-old man who was reportedly trying to rob him in an early-morning confrontation at a bar, according to court documents.
Just before the Nov. 7 shooting, Victor S. Taylor-Lewis attempted to take drugs and money from Eugene A. Jackson, 29, of La Plata outside Mattawoman Restaurant in Indian Head, according to Diane Richardson, spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's Office. Investigators believe that Taylor-Lewis was armed, she said, and are still trying to determine whether anyone else was involved in the robbery.
Jackson and Taylor-Lewis began to argue during the alleged robbery attempt, according to police. After Jackson got out of a car, a witness heard several gunshots, court papers state. Taylor-Lewis, of Alexandria, Va., was struck in the upper body, the documents indicated.
The witness didn't see Jackson fire the gun, but told investigators "it could not have been anyone else," because no other person was standing nearby in a position to shoot Taylor-Lewis, the charging documents reported.
Two bullets hit a 23-year-old Lexington Park man sitting in a sport utility vehicle, which sped out of the Mattawoman Restaurant parking lot after the incident, police reported. The Lexington Park man wasn't involved in the encounter between Taylor-Lewis and Jackson and wasn't affiliated with either man, according to police.
Just after the shooting, Jackson and a friend left the restaurant, police stated. Jackson reportedly spoke to a witness about his involvement in the shooting and unloaded a gun from which five of six bullets had been fired, court papers indicate.
Detectives found evidence to indicate five rounds were discharged in the shooting, the documents show.
Sheriff's officers went to the Mattawoman Restaurant on Hawthorne Road at about 1:09 a.m., but Taylor-Lewis and the second victim were not at the scene. Police stopped the black SUV carrying the Lexington Park man near Quailwood Parkway, and the 23-year-old victim found in the backseat was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries that weren't life-threatening, according to the sheriff's office.
Taylor-Lewis' friends took him to Fort Washington Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
It appears that Taylor-Lewis and Jackson knew of each other, Richardson said.
"We believe the victim knew Mr. Jackson had drugs, and that's why he was targeted for the robbery," Richardson said.
Jackson was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a handgun in a felony or violent crime, second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He reported in court records that he was a bounty hunter with a company based in Clinton.
He pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in 2001 in a Prince George's County case, online court records show. He's also been charged with marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and drug possession in two pending cases.
Police are asking anyone with additional information to call detective John Elliott at 301-609-6515. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS.
