A Michigan couple’s wedding day took a dark and deadly twist when one of their groomsmen was fatally struck by a vehicle.
Merely hours after the wedding of 22-year-old groom James Shirah and 21-year-old bride Savahna Collier on Friday, August 30, the Flint Police Department received a call about a pedestrian being injured in a vehicular crash.
Highlights
- A Michigan couple’s wedding day turned tragic when their groomsman was fatally struck by an SUV.
- Groom James Shirah allegedly rammed his SUV into groomsman Terry Lewis Taylor Jr. after an argument.
- The groom and his bride, Savahna Collier, vanished from the scene and went to the police only the next day.
First responders arrived at the scene and found Terry Lewis Taylor Jr., 29, with “severe injuries” and rushed him to the Hurley Medical Center.
A Michigan couple's wedding took a dark turn when a groomsman was fatally struck by a vehicle just hours after the wedding
Image credits: racjunior / Pixabay (Representational Image)
The victim eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to the police department’s statement shared on Wednesday, September 4.
Investigators found that Terry had attended James and Savahna’s wedding on the day of the crash and was even a groomsman for the newlyweds.
Genessee County Prosecutor David Leyton said the wedding took place at a pizzeria, and the celebration later moved to a home.
22-year-old groom James Shirah and 21-year-old bride Savahna Collier are facing charges over the death of their groomsman, Terry Lewis Taylor Jr., 29
Image credits: City of Flint Police Department / Facebook
Image credits: City of Flint Police Department / Facebook
However, an argument broke out, and the groom allegedly rammed an SUV into him while he was standing in the street in front of the house.
“...Earlier that day, Taylor Jr had attended a wedding as a groomsman,” the police department said. “After the wedding he was involved in an argument which led to him being intentionally struck by a large SUV that was traveling at a high rate of speed and driven by the groom.”
First responders found the victim severely injured at the scene, and he was rushed to the hospital but eventually succumbed to his injuries
Image credits: Dodds-Dumanois Funeral Home
The newlyweds allegedly vanished from the scene and only turned themselves in the next day. This made it “more difficult to unravel what happened,” David told the Associated Press.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” said the prosecutor with 20 years of experience. “I’ve seen people running over other people but not so soon after a wedding.”
Both the bride and groom were charged in connection with the victim’s death.
"Terry enjoyed immensely his music, his children, his family and friends, his dog Kodiak and eating some good food," read the deceased man's obituary
Image credits: trhquan / Pixabay (Representational Image)
“The groom, James Shirah (22), has been charged and arraigned for Second Degree Murder and is currently being held with no bond, His bride, Savahna Collier (21) has been charged & arraigned for Accessory After the Fact to a Felony. Her bond was set at $4000,” the police department added.
Terry is survived by his three children, his fiancée Nicole Robinson, and his unborn child.
“He loved fishing since birth, riding bikes and four wheelers. Terry enjoyed immensely his music, his children, his family and friends, his dog Kodiak and eating some good food,” read this obituary. “It was always important to him to have clean teeth and some cologne on.”