Donald Taylor, a Black man, was killed by the South Florida police in August 2025. The authorities refused to provide any body-camera footage of the incident and claimed that the man was armed. The cops also said that they were “forced to fire” at him, as he did not follow their commands.
However, a breakthrough came after a video recently surfaced, contradicting most of the claims made by the South Florida cops. In the clip, Taylor, 32, is seen walking away from the officers with his hands raised to his sides. He did not appear to be armed when a police officer aimed at him and opened fire.
A single shot was fired at Taylor right when he turned his back to the cops, ultimately killing him on the spot. According to the Atlanta Black Star, Whitehouse Law Group, a Miami law firm, was able to obtain the video. It was posted on Instagram via attorney Erian Stirrup of the law firm, who is now representing the family of Taylor.
Fatal OIS of Crime Spree Suspect Sparks Family Controversy
Donald Taylor, 32, went on a violent crime spree from July 30 to August 2, 2025: he stole a gun, pointed one at someone in a Miramar store, shot a person and left him in critical condition, robbed a Dollar General at… pic.twitter.com/zqYfQfWC61
— The Facts Dude 🤙🏽 (@Thefactsdude) January 11, 2026
The video was shared with a long caption that stressed that the man posed “no threat,” yet was brutally killed by the cops.
“Donald Taylor was murdered by the Hollywood Police Department on August 3, 2025. Our office was able to independently obtain video of the moments leading up to the shooting, and what is absolutely clear is that Donald Taylor posed NO THREAT to the officers or the public at the time of this shooting. We demand public accountability and stand with Donald’s family as they pursue justice for this callous act.”
Following the incident in August, South Florida police told local media outlets that Donald Taylor had a warrant out for him as he was the main suspect in several armed robberies in Hollywood and Miramar. According to the cops, they were conducting a surveillance operation in the municipalities that are in Broward County when they confronted the man.
“The suspect was armed and refused to listen to the officer’s verbal commands. At that point, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” said the Hollywood police press release. Although they claimed that they recovered a gun at the scene, the recently surfaced video contradicted police accounts.
It clearly shows Taylor walking in the neighborhood, and with his hands raised to the sides, he doesn’t seem to be carrying a gun. The police claim that he was the main suspect in five violent cases, including the ones where he apparently held grocery store employees at gunpoint.
Although they pinned his death on himself, the police could not provide bodycam footage to further establish their claims.
Meanwhile, Whitehouse Law Firm said, “Donald was a loving son and brother, who recently began to suffer debilitating symptoms of a mental health crisis. Within days of the incident, the Hollywood Police Department began to release misleading statements about the murder, suggesting that the officer fired his weapon because Donald was armed.”
“Simultaneously, they have refused to release any information to his family. High definition video evidence, from an independent third party, reveals the truth: Donald was shot down without regard and without justification.”
