Bilyana Garland
| First Coast News
Woman remains gracious after Jacksonville shooting paralyzed her
Latasha Taylor, who’s back home in Callahan, remains gracious while recovering from being shot in the head in February 2025.
First Coast News
- A Nassau County woman, Latasha Taylor, is paralyzed from the neck down after being shot in the head at a Jacksonville intersection.
- Taylor is now home after months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, but her family faces significant financial hardship due to medical costs.
- A fundraising effort has been established to help the family with expenses, including the need for a wheelchair-accessible van.
Eight months after being shot in the head at a Murray Hill intersection, a Callahan woman and her family are sharing her story of survival.
Last February, Latasha Taylor’s life changed in an instant. What was supposed to be a simple night out turned into chaos when Jacksonville police say she was shot at a stoplight near Post Street and McDuff Avenue in Murray Hill.
The bullet, which her husband said hit her in the neck behind her ear, left her paralyzed from the neck down.
“I strongly believe in God,” Taylor, who is 42 and goes by Tasha, said. “And I know His will will be done for me.”
Her husband, Tony Taylor, remembers doctors warning the family to prepare for the worst.
“The prognosis at first was she wouldn’t make it through the weekend,” he said. “And then they said she’d never open her eyes. But every time … she proved them wrong.”
For six months, he couldn’t hear his wife’s voice. Their three children struggled to adjust to a new normal, a quiet home that once overflowed with laughter and weekend sports.
“It was hard not being able to call her or tell her how my day was,” said her daughter, Lexxie Jones. “It’s like there’s this space that’s never filled.”
What happened that night?
Police arrested Latorray Yvonne Collins, 39, who is charged with attempted murder. Investigators say the shooting started after an argument with a man Taylor was riding with, someone Collins had recently broken up with. Family identified him as a cousin, and in the arrest report he said she had been calling and texting him to come get his belongings but that he told her to throw them out.
He sad she kept calling but he didn’t answer, and then she suddenly appeared driving in front of him, blocking him. So he backed up and swerved past he. But while stopped at another light, he told police Collins got out and started banging on his window. While they were arguing, she and Taylor also exchanged words. Then others they were with in another car got out and started yelling. Davis said he got in between and then heard one shot and Taylor fall to the ground.
Collins told police she and her friend were being encroached on and that one of the drivers threw an alcoholic beverage at them. The next line her arrested report was redacted. She remains in jail, but pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for another court hearing in January.
Taylor says she had never met Collins before that night.
“I just would like to know what made her feel the need to take a gun and shoot me?” Taylor said. “I can’t say I hate her, because I don’t know her. But I do want her to pay for what she did. It changed the course of my family’s life.”
The aftermath and recovery of Tasha Taylor, and a plea for help
Diane Smith is a close friend trying to raise funds for Taylor’s care and her family. She described what things have been like, stating that “My dearest friend died twice that day just to be resuscitated” and had to be put in a coma “while doctors frantically worked on stabilizing her.”
After two months at UF Health, she was airlifted to the Shepherd Center, a hospital in Atlanta specializing in rehabilitation for people with complex conditions including spinal cord or brain injuries.
“She underwent two surgeries. Working tirelessly on her extremities. Weening her off the ventilator. Learning to talk again,” Smith said. “Tasha is back home in Callahan now since late August of this year. She has a trach, a feeding tube, cath and is paralyzed from the neck down, bedridden. Still waiting on a customized wheelchair so she can sit up and go outside. Breathe some fresh air and feel the sunshine. She is in desperate need of a used wheelchair accessible van. She can’t get to doctor appointments; medical bills are in the millions. Day to day supplies and expenses are a challenge. They are in a financial hardship. Dire straights.”
The family is asking for continued prayers and support and have set up a *TashaStrong *spotfund.
“While they remain strong and hopeful, life’s expenses continue to add up, and they’re in need of a little extra help,” the fund states. “Anyone who knows them knows how humble and hardworking they are, and how hard it is for them to keep asking for assistance. But every bit of support truly makes a difference and helps ease the weight they’re carrying.”
Despite the pain, Taylor said she’s still grateful for every day she gets to spend with her family.
“I have a lot of pain, and a lot of bad days,” she said. “But I truly am happy.”
This story was originally reported by Times-Union news partner First Coast News.
Times-Union staff member Scott Butler contributed to this story.