LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor announced new indictments, including a first-degree murder charge in connection with the Christmas Eve death of a grandmother in 2020.
Watch report from Rebecca Petit
On Dec. 24, 2020, Cooper was struck and killed by gunfire outside her Lakeland home. Three other members of her family, including a 13-year-old girl, were also shot and wounded.
Now, nearly six years later, her family says they're finally seeing a path toward justice.
"It feels like relief," Shawanda Lamones said. "That everything is going in the right direction, that our family is finally going to get the justice that we deserve."
As her family waits for the case to move through the court system, Lamones hopes people remember the woman her mother was beyond the tragedy.
"My mom was a great woman. She was a churchgoer. She was the best cook. She was retired from daycare, so she loved kids. She had so much love in her heart for everyone, and she also had a light that was just so bright," Lamones said.
The case remained unsolved for years until investigators uncovered what they describe as a critical breakthrough.
Lakeland police say the turning point came during the investigation into the January 2023 Iowa Avenue mass shooting, where officers recovered several firearms. Detectives say forensic testing determined one of those weapons was a ballistic match to the bullets that killed Cooper. Police say that weapon was used by Taqiy Lewis.
Watch press conference with Lakeland Police
"Records show that the gun was purchased by the girlfriend of Taqiy Lewis, who admitted Lewis had access to this firearm. Lewis was further identified by LPD officers as being in the surveillance video recovered from the scene," said Taylor.
The evidence led a Polk County grand jury to indict Lewis on charges including first-degree murder in Cooper's death and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Lewis was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon in connection with the death.
Police have also arrested Kevion Durham and John Spates in connection with the case. Investigators are still searching for a fourth suspect, Carlos Morris, who is wanted on an attempted first-degree murder charge. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact the Lakeland Police Department or Heartland Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips may be eligible for an reward of up to $5,000.
For Lamones, the arrests don't erase the pain of losing her mother, but they do bring hope.
"The pain never goes away. This will never bring my mom back, but it does kind of give some kind of hope that this won't happen to no one else's family like it happened to ours," she said.
As the criminal case moves forward, Lamones says she plans to be there every step of the way.
"I'm not going to let it go. I'm going to make sure that they're held accountable for what happened to my mother," Lamones said.
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