Following an extensive review, our office has concluded that we would be unable to refute a claim by a male victim that he was justified when he employed deadly force against Aaron Taylor on March 12, 2022. Our review determined that, according to the victim, his roommate Aaron Taylor confronted him with both a knife and gun, then attacked him with the knife. The victim avoided the attack, causing Taylor to fall to the ground and drop the weapons. Fearing further attack, the victim picked up the gun and fired a single fatal shot at Taylor.
In reaching this conclusion, our office conducted an exhaustive review of all available evidence and applicable legal standards. These steps included but were not limited to:
- reviewing interviews of witnesses
- examining physical evidence
- reviewing video evidence
- reviewing photographic evidence
- applying the applicable laws
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Investigators found that on March 12, 2022, deputies responded to 1903 East 131st Ave. in Tampa in response to multiple 911 calls. The decedent, Aaron Taylor, was located in Apartment 201 with an apparent gunshot wound. Taylor was transported by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
One of the 911 calls was made by the victim, who indicated that he had been involved in an altercation with Taylor. The victim was not present when deputies initially responded but returned to the scene within minutes. A recorded interview was conducted with the victim, during which he explained that he and Taylor had engaged in a verbal argument in the common area of the apartment they shared. He said Taylor then armed himself with a knife and a handgun.
The victim said that Taylor attacked him with the knife and that he was able to avoid the attack, causing Taylor to fall to the floor, momentarily losing control of both weapons. Fearing another attack, the victim said he picked up the gun and raised it in the direction of Taylor, discharging it one time.
Two witnesses were present in the apartment but were not in the common area where the shooting occurred. One witness overheard the victim say, “What, you gonna stab me?”
The victim told investigators that after shooting Taylor he drove to a nearby pond where he disposed of the firearm. He was able to show investigators the specific location of the pond but efforts to recover the firearm were unsuccessful. Other evidence gathered during the investigation confirmed that Taylor visited the pond immediately after the shooting.
An autopsy was conducted by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. The autopsy determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest with perforation of the heart and lung.
The name of the victim is being withheld due to Marsy’s Law.
After our thorough analysis, we have determined that the facts and evidence would not refute a claim by the victim that he was in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or others when he employed deadly force against Aaron Taylor. These findings satisfy Florida Statute 776.012 and there is no legal basis for criminal charges against the victim for killing Aaron Taylor.
An initial release of materials related to this case is available at this link. These items illustrate the crime scene and key details of the case. Further documents related to the case, including additional photos, reports, and interview transcripts, are available to any member of the public subject to Florida’s Public Records Law; find details on making a request on the State Attorney’s Office Public Records page.