PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Editor's note: The Department of Justice issued a correction of the sentence length for Antonyo Taylor from 12 years to 15 years. The story has been updated to reflect the change.
A Portsmouth man will spend 15 years behind bars for possessing a firearm used in the murder of a young girl.
According to the Department of Justice, 27-year-old Antonyo Taylor possessed a gun that was used in the shooting of a 7-year-old girl, along with another firearm used in a second shooting.
In December 2020, Taylor told people "that he wanted to go shoot at rival gang members," the DOJ said. Taylor and others reportedly drove up to a car that Taylor thought had rival gang members inside.
The DOJ said Taylor then fired his gun.
"During this shooting, one of the passengers in the second vehicle, a 7-year-old girl, was shot and killed," the DOJ wrote in a press release.
In a separate instance, Taylor straw purchased a fire another gun in September 2020. Taylor admitted he used this firearm in a separate shooting in October 2020 in Portsmouth that did not result in injuries.
Portsmouth police arrested Taylor, along with two others, in December 2020.
Police said the 7-year-old girl, Mylani Everette, died that Christmas Eve from her injuries.
All three men were charged with first-degree murder and malicious wounding. However, online court records show Taylor's charges were listed as nolle prosequi in October 2022.
