A newlywed couple in Michigan is facing serious charges after one of their groomsmen was fatally struck by a vehicle just hours after their wedding. Flint police responded to reports of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle on Friday, August 30, according to a release from the Flint Police Department on Wednesday, September 4.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found 29-year-old Terry Lewis Taylor Jr. with severe injuries. Taylor was transported to Hurley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. “Further investigation revealed that earlier that day, Taylor had attended a wedding as a groomsman,” police stated. “After the wedding, he was involved in an argument, which led to him being intentionally struck by a large SUV traveling at a high rate of speed, driven by the groom.”
The groom, 22-year-old James Shirah, has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bond. His wife, 21-year-old Savahna Collier, is facing charges of accessory after the fact. Collier posted her $4,000 bond on Wednesday, September 4, according to the Associated Press.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton told the AP. “I’ve seen people running over other people but not so soon after a wedding,” Leyton noted that the wedding had taken place at a pizzeria, and the fatal incident occurred later at a home where an argument ensued.
According to Leyton, Taylor was standing in front of the home, in the street, when he was struck by the SUV, allegedly driven by Shirah. The couple reportedly waited a day before reporting the incident to police, complicating the investigation.
Taylor’s obituary, shared by Dodds-Dumanois Funeral Home and Cremation Center, LLC, in Flint, remembered him as a man who loved music, fishing, and riding bikes and four-wheelers. “Terry enjoyed immensely his music, his children, his family and friends, his dog Kodiak, and eating some good food,” the obituary stated. “It was always important to him to have clean teeth and some cologne on.” As of Thursday, September 5, the Genesee County public defender’s office reported that no attorney had been assigned to the case.