JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is sharing his family’s story after the tragic death of a tire shop owner that police say was shot by his son.
Investigators say James Taylor Sr., 48, died from his injuries after his son James Taylor Jr., 27, shot him multiple times in front of police officers.
“I cry every night. Every night. That was my best friend. We were together sun up to sundown,” said nephew Terrence Robinson of his uncle.
The shooting happened on May 3 at an Arlington tire shop.
The family told News4Jax Taylor Jr. suffers from mental illness and he wasn’t in his right mind the day he shot his father.
He was his father’s only son.
Taylor Sr.’s nephew said his uncle meant the world to him and he not only lost his uncle but his cousin, too.
The day of the shooting started as a normal day for Robinson. He was working at J.T.’s Tire Shop and when he came back from lunch, he watched Taylor Jr. drive up to the shop.
“I walked to my cousin, I shook his hand and he said he’s going to need some answers today so I just kind of brushed him off,” Robinson said.
Robinson said his cousin, who served in the Air Force, suffers from mental illness and he could tell something wasn’t right.
“He popped the trunk and grabbed the rifle and he pointed it at me,” Robinson said.
Robinson immediately ran to call 911 keeping an eye on the situation.
“He had his rifle pointed at my uncle facing this direction,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he heard multiple gunshots but didn’t see the actual shooting.
“When I came back my uncle was shot,” he said.
As officers arrived, detectives say they saw Taylor Jr. shoot his father in the passenger seat of a car.
Right across the street from the tire shop is a church that was also hit by bullets. There are still several bullet holes in the wall.
“He took somebody from me that means the world to me. He took my uncle, my brother, my best friend a father figure, a mentor,” Robinson said.
But, Robinson said, he could still forgive his cousin.
“I still love him. I still love him until this day,” Robinson said.
Robison says his uncle was one of the hardest working and caring men he knew and going to work without him won’t be the same.
Taylor Jr. is charged with second-degree murder.
Robinson said the tire shop has been closed since the shooting but he will be taking over the business and they will reopen on June 1, with a grand opening on June 5.