Rite Aid Shooting Suspect Charged With Multiple Felonies
Ricard Walter Taylor, a 34-year-old resident of East Lansing, was arraigned on multiple charges just three days ago in the 54-B District Court in East Lansing. He is accused of murder for the deadly shooting of his next-door neighbor, 27-year-old Jordan Rogers, and 35-year-old Rite Aid pharmacist, Michael Addo.
The arraignment was held via video conference from the Ingham County Jail where Taylor is being housed, and was presided over by Judge Andrea Larkin.
According to witness accounts, earlier this week on Monday, Taylor entered the Rite Aid pharmacy in Frandor as if he were a customer, and shot Addo multiple times with a Ruger .22-caliber handgun, killing him. Taylor then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Police say that he then drove back to his home on Coolidge Road in East Lansing and there, reloaded his gun. East Lansing Police Detective Dan Brown said in a statement that, after reloading, Taylor went directly next door, where he engaged his neighbor, Rogers, in conversation before also shooting him several times.
Taylor is facing seven felony charges, which include two counts of open murder for the shooting and killing of Addo and Rogers. Michigan law does not require that a prosecutor choose between First or Second Degree Murder when pressing charges. Open murder means that the jury will decide which charges are appropriate based on the proof presented at trial.
The charges also include two counts of carrying a concealed weapon with unlawful intent, two counts of felony firearm, and one concealed weapon count. Under Michigan law, carrying a concealed weapon with unlawful intent is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment, or a fine of not more than $2,500, or both.
Because the two homicides occurred in different cities, the prosecutor could have filed charges in both Lansing and East Lansing. But authorities have decided to consolidate the case. Taylor’s preliminary examination is scheduled for next Friday, May 23, at 9 am in the 54-B District Court. He says that he does not yet have a lawyer, but he does have one in mind.