WBTV
January 13, 2015
A man turned himself in to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department in connection to shooting deaths of two people Thursday, according to Charlotte police.
Police say Gerian Eugene Taylor turned himself in Sunday. He was taken to police headquarters to be interviewed, but according to police, he was returned to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s office.
Police say the Thursday shooting of a man and woman dead was the result of a drug deal turned robbery.
“Our investigation has revealed so far this was not a random act of violence. It was a drug transaction that turned into a robbery,” Captain Gregg Collins said.
The call came in around 11 a.m. Thursday from a home on the 200-block of West Avenue, near Old Mt. Holly Road.
When police arrived at the scene, they found a man and a woman, later identified as 52-year-old Donald Ray Matthews and 44-year-old Jeanila Adams Weber, dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
Both victims lived at the home.
Danny Fails, Weber’s cousin who also used to live at the home, said he doesn’t believe the police department’s explanation.
“I don’t think none of that transactioned,” he said.
Witnesses told officers they saw a car leaving the home.
Investigators say they believe the suspects and victims knew each other, and that the crime was not a random act of violence.
Police say it is still an ongoing, active investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit Detective, or call Crimestoppers at 704-334-1600.