On January 25, 2021, 20-year-old Jeremiah Jerron Turner, a Black man, was found dead inside his home on Lakewood Park Drive in Martinsville, Virginia, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Deputies responding to a report of gunfire discovered Turner inside the residence. Investigators say a man came to the home, was let in, and then accompanied Turner into a bedroom where the shooting occurred; the suspect ran from the scene after shots were fired.

Police identified 23-year-old Taylor Paige Thomas of Axton as the person wanted in connection with the killing. Thomas surrendered to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and was arrested on charges including first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, shooting inside an occupied dwelling, and three counts of brandishing a firearm; he was held without bond. The motive remained under investigation.

If anyone has information about Turner, the events at the Lakewood Park Drive residence, or saw activity in the area that afternoon, please come forward.