PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Antonyo Taylor, 27, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing a Smith and Weston M&P connected to the shooting of a 7-year-old girl in Portsmouth and for straw purchasing another firearm used in a different shooting.
On December 22, 2022, Taylor said he wanted to shoot rival gang members, according to the Department of Justice. He and others rode in a gold Acura and misidentified another vehicle as belonging to a rival gang. The people in Taylor's car shot at the other, killing a 7-year-old passenger.
In September of 2020, Taylor enlisted someone else to legally purchase a GIRSAN MC 1911 and transfer ownership, according to the Department of Justice. The original buyer had indicated that he was the purchasing the firearm for himself, but in October of the same year, Taylor used the firearm in a shooting in Portsmouth. There were no injuries.
