A Kentucky woman was shot by a deputy at her home where three bodies were later found — all belonging to her family members.
The officers were responding to a call from a relative of Courtney Taylor, who pointed a pistol at the officers when they arrived to her Whitley County home. The 41-year-old woman is reportedly in stable condition, and is expected to face murder charges.
Whitley County Sheriff Harrell said Taylor had a gun in her hand when the deputy arrived, as was shot only after a deputy warned her. “He repeated put down the weapon, she didn’t, and he fired,” Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell told WKYT News.
Taylor’s husband Larry and two teenage daughters were found dead in their home shortly after officers arrived and the shooting occurred. Jessie Taylor was 18 and an unidentified daughter was 13. Sheriff Harrell told the Lexington Herald Leader that he personally knew the family, and there had been no prior incidents at the home.
“It’s unbelievable,” Harrell said.
Why? Whitley County, Kentucky woman murders husband and two daughters https://t.co/hlUxM7EL8k #Jessie Taylor #Jolee Taylor #Larry Taylor
— Scallywagandvagabond (@ScallywagNYC) January 14, 2017
Friends of Jessie Taylor were equally shocked.
“They [the Taylor family] were all just really happy people and all funny and just liked to laugh,” Kalle Johnson told WYMT Mountain News.
“Our friendship was full of laughter,” said another friend, Destanny Hatfield. “It was a blast. We were always laughing at work and I could always count on her for anything I needed … She was an amazing person inside and out. Her smile could light up a room. She was beautiful. She was smart.”
A motive for the alleged murders has not been revealed, and the victims are believed to have been shot in the head in their beds. An investigation is ongoing.
Photo: Kentucky State Police
