Philadelphia man shot 21 times in case of mistaken identity; the killer is still at large

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A trip to the corner store turned deadly for a man on his way to work.

The family of James Marcus Taylor, or “Jay” as he was known to friends, says he wasn’t one for the limelight.

“He’s a quiet person,” said Taylor’s mother, Bernadette Tanner. “James is always there, even when he’s silent. You know he’s there, like we’re in a meeting, you can’t hear him, but if you look, he’s sitting on the steps.”

They also say that he loved food.

“His favorite thing was to feed people. So when you were around Jay, you were going to eat,’” his sister Alicia Tanner recalled.

Shortly before 6pm on Wednesday, November 9, Taylor was on his way to work. He was walking in the 5400 block of Akron Street in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia.

“Someone called him at the last minute, ‘Can you cover this shift for me?'” his mother recalled. “And he was like, ‘Sure, I got you, no problem.'”

Taylor stopped at a corner store. Then police said the gunman approached the 29-year-old and opened fire 21 times.

Taylor was hit several times and died at the hospital.

“Talking to the detectives, they said it was clearly mistaken identity,” Bernadette said. “It wasn’t for him, he wasn’t the intended target.”

Authorities in Philadelphia are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

All you have to do is call the Citizens Advice Bureau at 215-546-TIPS.

All calls will remain anonymous.