Earlier this year, a video went viral of a teenage boy being whopped by his uncle for acting tough while on, social networking site, Facebook. Although, at the time, the video clip seemed pretty fun (and sad) unfortunately we’ve learned the young man, Michael Taylor, has been killed. He was shot to death on Dec. 7th in New Orleans over, what appears to be, a dispute among kids in the neighborhood.
Taylor’s mother, Kimberly Ward, says she kept strict tabs on her son, even making him stay on the sidewalk in eyesight of their home when he went outside. The night of the shooting, she said, Taylor received a text message from a friend at about 8 p.m. and went outside to chat.
“She said she called him back inside a few minutes later to find out what was going on, and he told her he was just talking and went back outside. A few minutes later, her daughter received a text message saying that Taylor had been shot, and then another saying he was dead,” the newspaper reported.
She cited a couple of incidents that she said might have led someone to come after her son, but in each case, Ward maintained her son had been the victim of a misunderstanding or was targeted because of his connection to others who may have instigated a dispute.
She also said Taylor recently took a photo with a friend that was posted on Facebook, that the friend had been involved in an ongoing dispute with an Algiers group and that someone recently threatened Taylor when she took him to the mall recently.
Ward also told the newspaper that she believes her son’s friends, not his actions, led to his death. “He was guilty by association,” she said.
So sad that this had to happen. Although his uncle’s actions may not have been the best approach he clearly had the right intent, trying to stair his nephew away from the streets. Unfortunately those attempts couldn’t save his life. May he rest in peace.
Spotted: Black Media Scoop
