Jaylon Hill
The man who fired the shot that apparently set off a string of murders in the same Chattanooga neighborhood in December 2020 has been sentenced to serve 23 years in state prison.
Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn sentenced Jaylon Hill, 25, to 20 years for second-degree murder, 10 years for attempted second-degree murder, two years for reckless endangerment and three years for possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The gun charge is consecutive to the other concurrent sentences.
Three people were shot and killed in the same section of the Oak Grove community in two days. In the first shooting, Hill fired nine shots toward a vehicle that had just left the home of his grandmother, Gloria Hill, on South Willow Street.
Only one shot hit the vehicle, but it struck 38-year-old Timothy Taylor in the head. A woman in the car was not hit. Some of the other shots went into a house on another street. Judge Dunn noted that there were six people in that house lying on the floor calling 911.
The next day after that slaying, Russell Paris, 38, was shot and killed on South Kelly Street early on a Tuesday morning.
Then on Tuesday evening, the 66-year-old grandmother, Gloria Hill, was shot and killed very close by on South Willow Street. Judge Dunn said she had no doubt that the killing of Ms. Hill was "retaliation." No one has been charged in that case.
A witness said Timothy Taylor told them he needed to collect money from a man called “Stew.” When they arrived at the residence, a man with a toboggan and red jacket approached the vehicle, and the witness said the man appeared to be holding a handgun.The witness said Taylor told the driver to leave. After the driver backed out of the driveway and turned to leave, they told police they heard several gunshots.
Another witness said they were present at the time of the shooting. They told police they saw Jaylon Hill shoot at the victim several times. The first witness identified Jaylon Hill through use of a photo lineup.
Police said Hill approached officers at the same residence Timothy Taylor’s shooting occurred “to try and see what was going on at the house.” He was immediately arrested.
Hill was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He was convicted on second-degree murder rather than premeditated murder at a trial in December.
In the Russell Paris case, at approximately 2:40 a.m., Chattanooga Police responded to the 1700 block of South Kelly Street on a report of a person shot. Upon arrival, officers located the victim suffering from a gunshot wound and they secured the scene. He was transported to a local hospital by Hamilton County EMS with life-threatening injuries. He would later succumb to his injuries.
In the slaying of Gloria Hill, at approximately 6:10 p.m., Chattanooga Police responded to the 1700 block of South Willow Street on a report of a person shot. Upon arrival, officers located a victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and secured the scene. Hamilton County EMS responded and pronounced the victim deceased on the scene.
At the sentencing hearing, children of the murder victim said they had been devastated by the loss of their father. One said, "You don't understand the effect this has had on our family. My heart hurts every day."
Judge Dunn said Hill had kept a job since graduating from high school. He was working at Burger King at the time.
She said his criminal record included only one misdemeanor conviction.
But she said Hill had gone on Facebook and bragged about killing someone.