LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland man is admitting his role in a deadly Christmas Eve shootout that shattered a family in 2020.
Taqiy Lewis has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon in connection with the shooting that killed a 70-year-old grandmother and injured a 13-year-old girl.
WATCH: Lakeland man pleads guilty in 2020 Christmas Eve shootout that killed grandmother
Not a day goes by that Shawanda Lamones doesn't think about her mother, Maebelle Cooper.
"My mom was a great mother. She had a light that shined so bright. She was a retired daycare teacher. She had lots of grandkids and lots of great-grandkids," Lamones said.
On December 24, 2020, Cooper was outside her Lakeland home with her family when multiple shots were fired. Cooper was killed, and three other family members were wounded, including a 13-year-old girl.
Lamones said it all started when her son was robbed at the park, and minutes after the family returned home, gunfire erupted.
"I was shot in my chest. My husband was injured. He was shot in his arm and grazed on his leg. And my 13-year-old daughter, she was shot through her leg,” said Lamones.
It's a case Tampa Bay 28 Reporter Rebecca Petit has been following since day one. It went unsolved for more than two years.
"I have to admit I was losing hope for a while, but to see everything starting back up again, I feel like the wait was kind of worth it," Lamones said.
In 2023, officers recovered a firearm during a separate mass shooting investigation in Lakeland. Forensic testing linked that gun and shell casings back to Cooper's killing. Police say that the weapon belonged to Taqiy Lewis.
Lewis now faces up to 15 years in federal prison. Lamones said it's a long-awaited step toward justice.
"I really feel like we're heading in the right direction, and this guilty plea is giving us more hope," said Lamones.
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