ORANGE PARK, Fla. — A shooting involving three local sailors left two female sailors dead and one male sailor in Clay County Jail.
22-year-old Taylor Marques Lomax has been charged with two counts of 2nd-degree murder and is being held without bond after Clay County sheriff’s deputies allege he shot and killed 21-year-old Noely Makenda and 20-year-old Jordyn Forrestier in the Savannah Glen neighborhood of Orange Park, Wednesday night.
According to the sheriff’s office, Lomax’s wife came to the home shared by Lomax and the two victims that night and began arguing with his two female roommates.
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A fight between the women broke out in the front yard, according to sheriff’s deputies, and that’s when Lomax allegedly grabbed a handgun and fired more than 30 rounds, striking both victims multiple times.
Ashley Durham, whose home is just down the street, has lived in the neighborhood for over 15 years.
She told Action News Jax she heard the shots ring out.
“It’s just too close to home. It’s very scary cause it’s kids, and we don’t usually have crime in this neighborhood. It’s just scary,” said Durham.
Lomax’s wife is the one who reportedly called 9-1-1.
Lomax was arrested, and his wife was questioned.
She has since been released.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that Lomax and both victims all served in the US Navy.
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Video Action News Jax found on the Birmingham City Schools Facebook Page shows Lomax surprising his mother after coming home from a nine-month deployment in August of last year.
In the video, his mother refers to him as her “hero” and states that before joining the Navy, he was steering towards “street life”.
Durham said the entire ordeal has left her and her neighbors with a feeling of unease and sadness for the two women who lost their lives.
“You have to be on your p’s and q’s, not always, but like now with the kids playing outside, you don’t know what’s gonna happen now,” said Durham. ”Like, we had a suspect like down the street from us, like a couple of houses down. So, that’s scary.”
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to call (904)264-6512 or report a tip through the SaferWatch app.
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