2 men survive after being forced into a car's trunk, shot in East Walnut Hills
In the early evening of April 20, 2020, about a month into the COVID-19 pandemic, two men were forced into the trunk of a car and shot.
Both survived.
On Wednesday, the last of five people charged in the case – the man who planned the robbery that led to the shooting – pleaded guilty in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Shooting happened near Purcell Marian High School
The incident unfolded on a Monday evening, in the 1600 block of De Sales Lane in East Walnut Hills, near Purcell Marian High School.
Three friends had just pulled up in a car to a rented house for a party, according to court documents, when a group of gunmen wearing face masks approached.
The gunmen ordered the three friends out of the car. Two were robbed of their wallets, cellphones and other items. The two were then forced at gunpoint into the car’s trunk.
The third victim was taken to the back of the house and told to unlock the door. When he couldn’t, he was pistol whipped and brought back to the car, the documents say.
One of the robbers then ordered him to get into the car and start it – but he ran away. According to investigators, one of the gunmen, Desmond Mills, shot at him but missed.
Mills then fired into the car’s trunk, the documents say. One of the people in the trunk was shot in the chest, suffering a wound to one of his lungs. The other was struck in the leg.
They remained in the trunk for an unknown amount of time before police arrived.
Calvin Taylor, 27, admitted Wednesday that he planned the robbery. He identified the house during a video call that was part of the planning, according to court documents. Prosecutors said that he didn't know exactly what would happen at the scene.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Taylor, who wore a light gray suit, was asked by Judge Chris Wagner if he wanted to make a statement.
“I have nothing to say, sir,” Taylor responded.
Others serving prison sentences
Four others have already been convicted in the case.
Mills, 27, pleaded guilty last year to robbery and gun charges and was sentenced to four years in prison. Gilbert Carter, 31, Zebelune Ruff, 24, and Naytoria Lane, 28, also pleaded guilty. Carter and Lane are serving prison sentences; Ruff is now on parole, records show.
Wagner sentenced Taylor, who had no previous criminal record, to three years of intensive probation.
In a statement, Taylor’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said he, Taylor and Taylor’s family were pleased with the outcome.
“As charged in the indictment, Mr. Taylor faced decades in prison. My client is a young man with a very promising future,” Bennett said. “This plea deal and sentence gives him the opportunity to do great things in the immediate future. I wish him the best. I am certain that he will take advantage of this great opportunity.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Calvin Taylor pleads guilty in shooting of 2 people in car trunk
