POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Lakeland man is facing over a decade in federal prison after a cold case investigation linked him to a fatal 2020 shootout. Taqiy Lewis, 27, pleaded guilty this week to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, a charge that carries a maximum 15-year sentence.
The case dates back to Christmas Eve of 2020, a night that turned tragic for a local family. Around 5:30 p.m., 70-year-old Maebelle Cooper was standing outside her home with her relatives and several young children.
According to court documents, Lewis and a group of others began a shootout just outside the residence. Cooper was caught in the crossfire, struck twice, and killed. A 13-year-old, identified as A.L., was also shot and wounded during the chaos.
For over two years, the specific weapon used in the killing remained missing. That changed on February 9, 2023, when ATF agents and Lakeland Police officers executed a search warrant during an entirely unrelated investigation. They recovered a Kahr CM9 9mm pistol that raised red flags for investigators.
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Forensic teams ran the handgun through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which confirmed a direct match to the 2020 crime scene.
The evidence was comprehensive: technicians proved the Kahr CM9 was the exact gun that fired six casings found at the scene, two bullets lodged in a nearby home, and the projectile recovered from Cooper’s body.
Because Lewis was already a convicted felon at the time of the shooting, he was legally barred from touching a gun or even a single round of ammunition.
United States Attorney Gregory Kehoe announced the plea, noting the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Diego F. Novaes in the prosecution.
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