By Ray King
Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter said Monday that the investigation into the death of Maurice Taggart on Aug. 30, 2023, showed that Taggart’s son, Justice, “was reasonable in using deadly force against Taggart because Taggart had first shot Justice in the chest.”
Under Arkansas Cod 5-2-607, “a person is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if the person reasonably believes that the other person is committing or about to commit a felony involving physical force or violence or using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force.”
Hunter went on to say that Taggart’s autopsy showed that his blood alcohol level was .172 which is over twice the legal limit for him to drive. The autopsy further showed that Taggart was shot in the back and upper right arm but “This does not negate Justice’s claim of self-defense. The positional dynamics of bodies involved in an altercation create many scenarios for how people may have been situated in relation to each other during an event.”
History of the Case
Maurice Taggart was married to Shawndra Taggart, who is the Jefferson County Clerk, and they resided at #1 Hillcroft. He was shot and killed at his home in the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2023.
Taggart was the former Director of the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency and had been recently charged, along with Rodrick Morris, of stealing approximately $667,000 from the City of Pine Bluff by defrauding Urban Renewal. The scheme involved Taggart approving fraudulent invoices from Morris’s company, RM Group, for allegedly performing asbestos abatement for Urban Renewal work that was never done by RM Group. Taggart opened a law practice in Pine Bluff after resigning from Urban Renewal in September of 2021 but his license had been suspended prior to his death.
Hunter said in the press release that Taggart and his wife were still together at the time of his death but their relationship was strained and there was talk of a separation or divorce which Taggart didn’t like. Shawndra was scared of what Taggart might do if she filed for divorce.
“Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. visited with me at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office the day before the shooting to advise me that Taggart was making threats to harm Shawndra if she filed for divorce and that Shawndra was scared of Taggart,” Hunter said in the release.
Night of the Shooting
On the night of the shooting, Justice Taggart and his girlfriend, Shatia Johnson were staying the night with his parents. Justice heard Taggart arguing with Shawndra and threatening to kill her, and Justice intervened and told his father, Taggart to leave the house. As Justice was trying to get Taggart out of the house a struggled ensued and Taggart said, “I’ve got something for you,” and Taggart introduced a gun into the altercation.
By this time the altercation had moved from the inside of the house to the outside. “From the totality of the statements, the 911 calls and other evidence, I have determined that Taggart then shot Justice and that a struggle for the gun ensued, and Justice got the gun and shot his father, Taggart,” Hunter said in the press release.
During the altercation described, Shawndra called Sheriff Woods while obviously upset and asked him to send officers to the house. Pine Bluff Police Officers John Woods and Phillip Meachem were the first to arrive at the scene and were met by Shawndra in front of the house and she advised that Taggart had shot Justice. The officers went to the back of the house and found Taggart and Justice on the ground. The officers observed gunshot wounds to both individuals. Ms. Johnson was also in the backyard trying to help Justice and she was covered in blood.
Justice advised the officers that Taggart had shot him and tried to kill him. Taggart and Justice were transported to JRMC where Taggart was pronounced deceased and Justice was treated and later released.
Another man?
Shawndra, Ms. Johnson and Justice gave statements describing the incident. None of them described anyone else as being present during the altercation. Also, in Ms. Johnson’s 911 call, which was made under the stress of the aftermath of the shooting, neither Ms. Johnson nor Justice mentioned anyone else being present or involved in the altercation.
Hunter went on to say that “There has been speculation of another ‘man’ being involved in the incident and that this ‘man’ remained on scene when the police arrived. This speculation is based upon a statement made by a neighbor. However, this speculation is completely unsubstantiated by any other evidence, including other witness statements and body camera footage from officers at the scene.”
Speculation about the case
Hunter said speculation in the case has been fueled by several sources questioning whether Taggart was being setup as a scapegoat for the Urban Renewal theft and whether there was a third man present that killed Taggart.
The trial of Rodrick Morris, the codefendant of Taggart in the Urban Renewal Theft , where Morris was found guilty of numerous felonies and sentenced to the Arkansas Department of Corrections made it clear that Taggart and Morris were the only two involved in the scheme to defraud Urban Renewal out of $667,000.
“Additionally, the death investigation establishes that Justice shot his father in self-defense,” Hunter said.
