Shooter kicked door in and shot his father

A Solsberry man accused of kicking in a door then shooting his father with a shotgun last Tuesday will be in court in the morning to face three felony counts. A witness who was on the scene said the suspect appeared to have been awake for several days, as if high on methamphetamine.

Steven Adam Taylor II

Steven Adam Taylor II, 21, Solsberry, was arrested by Indiana State Police Trooper Brad Stille last week. Taylor was taken into custody on Tuesday evening, December 22, following a shooting that occurred at a residence in the Solsberry area. Taylor was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:24 a.m. on Wednesday, December 23.

Around 12 noon last Tuesday, December 22, a 911 call into Greene County Dispatch reported a man had been shot at a residence at 13775 North Ivan Court in the Solsberry area of eastern Greene County.

Deputies from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene and ISP Det. Brad Stille was also dispatched.

The shooting victim, Steven Taylor, is the father of the suspect, Steven Adam Taylor II.

When deputies arrived and before Taylor was transported to a hospital, Taylor told GCSD Det. David Elmore that his son had shot him.

Taylor II was not located at the residence – he had fled the scene. Deputies on the scene were first told that immediately following the shooting, Taylor II had gotten transportation away from the area, but ISP later reported Taylor II had fled the scene on foot.

ISP then issued an alert and asked for information from the public regarding Taylor II’s location. The alert reported Taylor II was last seen wearing a green shirt with khaki pants and that he was wanted for questioning.

An intense search for Taylor II ensued and later in the evening, he was located at 4002 North Legion Road, also in the Solsberry area, but Taylor II refused to come outside the residence. A search warrant was then issued giving officers authority to enter the residence for Taylor II. Taylor II was taken into custody by the Indiana State Police South SWAT team.

ISP Det. Stille, the lead investigator, said Taylor, the father, sustained a shotgun wound to his groin area. He was first transported to a hospital in Bloomington then transferred to a hospital in Indianapolis. No additional information regarding his injuries or condition has been released.

The day after the shooting, Wednesday, December 23, ISP Detectives Tim Cummins and Ian Matthews were able to talk to Taylor at the hospital in Indianapolis.

Taylor said he was taking a nap in his bedroom when he heard a loud noise – his son Taylor II kicking open the locked and chained front door. Taylor said when he opened his bedroom door, he saw his son in the kitchen facing away from him. He said he asked his son, “What the hell are you doing?” Taylor said at that time, Taylor II turned around and shot him with a shotgun he was holding with both hands.

Taylor said he was standing in his bedroom doorway when he was shot by his son who was approximately 20 feet away in the kitchen. Taylor said his son did not say anything to him and did not say why he had shot him. But Taylor also said Taylor II had been threatening to kill him – he said two days prior to the shooting, on Sunday, December 20, he had gotten a text message from Taylor II saying he was going to kill him.

When Det. Stille interviewed Taylor II after he was taken into custody, Taylor II said he had gone to his father’s house and went in through the front door. Taylor II said he had not lived there for about nine months, and he didn’t think his father was home at the time. But when he saw his father, his father started yelling at him and his father kicked the bedroom door, which caused him to shoot his father unintentionally with the shotgun.

Det. Stille reported that Taylor II told him he had thrown the shotgun into his father’s pond. Det. Stille said the pond is not very big and not very deep and that it had been searched, along with the surrounding wooded areas, but the shotgun was not located. When Det. Stille confronted Taylor II again about the shotgun not being in the pond, Taylor II refused to give any more information about the shotgun.

Det. Stille also reported that on the day of the shooting, he talked to a woman who was on the scene when the shooting occurred. She was a resident who shared a child with Taylor the father. She allegedly said that prior to the shooting, she saw and talked to Taylor II near the residence. She said Taylor II had the shotgun and a “bag of bullets.” She also said Taylor II acted like he hadn’t slept in a week. When Det. Stille asked her, “Like someone on meth?” the woman said yes.

Since the day of the shooting, additional search warrants have been issued and the investigation is ongoing. The Indiana State Police Bloomington Post is the lead agency, assisted by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

Earlier today, Monday, December 28, criminal charges were filed against Taylor II.

Taylor II is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Tuesday, December 28, to be formally charged with:

• Aggravated battery – assault posed a substantial risk of death, a Level 3 felony,

• Battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and

• Residential entry – breaking and entering a dwelling, a Level 6 felony.

Taylor II’s bond in this case was set at $29,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of today, Monday, December 28, Taylor II has not yet posted bond and is still in jail.

Court records show Taylor II has other criminal cases pending against him in both Greene and Monroe counties.