Taylor sentenced to 20 years for shooting death of girlfriend

Published 3:16 pm Thursday, July 9, 2015

A Fort Deposit man convicted of manslaughter and attempted murder was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison by Second Judicial Circuit Judge Terri Bozeman Lovell.

Jamaar Taylor, who in June, was found guilty in connection with the 2013 shooting of his girlfriend, Ashley McDonald, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter and received a 20-year sentence for attempted murder. The sentences will run concurrently. 

McDonald, a Greenville native, was shot just after midnight on Oct. 13, 2013, during an altercation between Taylor and another man at the party. Kelcius Savage was also shot during the altercation.

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At the time, Taylor was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Authorities said at the time of the investigation that it didn’t appear that McDonald was the target.

Greenville Police Department Capt. Justin Lovvorn said Taylor took a gun from his car and began firing following an argument that erupted over a game on dominoes.

“He pulled a gun and started shooting,” Lovvorn said. “The guy he was arguing with and a couple of other guys that were out in the yard tackled him and tried to wrestle the gun away from him. He kept firing, and we believe that’s when his girlfriend was hit.”