Isaiah Taylor
On June 26, 1964, Isaiah Taylor, the African-American victim, was shot and killed by Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) Patrolman Robert Wallace, the subject. The subject claimed that he was searching for a state penitentiary escapee when he found the victim, who had a history of mental health problems, standing on the side of Highway 49. The subject stated that when he asked the victim for identification, the victim cursed at him and then ignored repeated commands to pull his hands out of his pockets. According to Wallace, when the victim finally complied, the victim pulled out a switchblade knife with an 8-inch blade and attacked him. Wallace told the victim he was under arrest, fired two warning shots at the victim’s feet, and then tried to disarm the victim using his blackjack - all to no avail. The victim continued to advance toward the subject and when he threw the knife at the subject, the subject fired the fatal shot that struck the victim in the chest. Wallace stated that the knife hit him on the side of the head before traveling about 50 feet and falling to the ground.
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