Man shot his cousin dead after argument, fight on Palmetto street, cops say

An argument between two cousins on Monday afternoon in Palmetto ended with gunshots and one charged with killing the other.

Wayne Lee Yates Jr., 36, and Deranty Taylor, 26, got into an argument in front of a mutual family member’s home in the 900 block of 25th Street East in Palmetto, a witness told detectives, when Taylor walked back to his home just up the street. When Taylor returned, he had a gun, according to a warrant affidavit.

Taylor got aggressive and instigated a fist fight with Yates when he said, “You wanna do something,” the witness said. Taylor punched Yates and the fight ensued.

But then Taylor pulled a silver gun and shot Yates several times, according to the affidavit. Yates fell onto the street and Taylor walked up to him, pulling the trigger several more times but it was out of ammunition so it did not fire.

Taylor was arrested about four hours later, two blocks away from where the shooting occurred.

The two men were cousins, according to a close friend of the victim.

Taylor was supposed to make his first appearance before a judge Tuesday afternoon but he refused. The hearing proceeded without him.

Assistant Public Defender Destiny Prater did not argue for bond to be set, instead saying she would do so at a later hearing. Taylor is being held without bond at the Manatee County jail.

Friends and family took to social media to express their grief and shock about the violence that broke out between the two men.

The news left Nykeria Paige with a heavy heart, she wrote in a message to the Bradenton Herald. Yates had been like a father told her. He had three daughters of his own,

“He was honestly a sweet person, heart full of gold. It’s sad we had to lose him this way,” she said.

The family declined to comment.

Both men have criminal histories.

Taylor’s prior convictions include for carrying a concealed weapon by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and multiple counts of burglary of an occupied structure. He was released from jail in December after taking a plea deal on a charge of aggravated assault after he threatened to kill someone who lives in his same neighborhood where Monday’s shooting occurred.

Yates was released from a Florida prison in June 2018 after serving time for seven counts of selling cocaine.

As a result of his most recent arrest in February, Yates was facing a charge of aggravated battery on a person over the age of 65 years old, according to court records. The allegations involved a battery against his father who intervened when Yates was arguing with his girlfriend.

Before hitting him over the head with a large recycling bin, Yates told his father, “I’ll kill you,” when he intervened, according to the probable cause affidavit.

This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 5:20 PM.