Taylor Johnson was only 21-years-old when his life was cut short back in February. He was a caretaker at a vacant home in which police found a marijuana grow-op.
Taylor did not have a criminal record and police say he was not connected to the grow-op in the home.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, IHIT, have now made an arrest in Taylor’s murder
His dad and stepmother are still trying to come to terms with what happened.
“This has obviously been a horrific experience,” said Taylor’s dad Paul. “Losing a child for any reason is a terrible blow and when you throw in the word ‘murder’ it throws in a whole new level of questions, uneasiness and terror to the occasion.”
Paul said Taylor wouldn’t hurt a fly and was a gentle young man. “He had an innocent vulnerability about him that made it easy for people to take advantage of him,” said Paul.
Taylor was set to graduate from the Nimbus School for Recording Arts just a few weeks after he was murdered.
Police were called to the home in February when someone called them and asked them to check on the well-being of the man staying there. Taylor had been shot.
23-year-old Jesse Hill from Surrey has been charged with 2nd degree murder, breaking and entering with intent, disguise with intent, and discharging a firearm with intent.
Sgt. Jennifer Pound of IHIT said they do not believe Johnson and this man knew each other, and the shooting was random. “It was a senseless act that tragically took the life of Taylor,” said Pound.
Investigators believe the grow-op was the motivation for the shooting.
Pound choked back tears as she talked about the 21-year-old victim. “Taylor was a good kid,” she said. “He was naive and he made a bad decision that ultimately cost him his life.”
Pound added it is hard to watch Johnson’s family go through this tragedy.
Paul wants the people responsible for this crime to learn from this and change their lives around.
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