A man convicted in a 2018 deadly shooting at a Birmingham gas station has been sentenced to prison.
Keegan Dixie, 29, was convicted in August of a reduced charge of reckless manslaughter in the slaying of 28-year-old Antonio Jerrell Taylor. Late last week, Dixie was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Jefferson County deputy district attorneys Matthew Casey and Meaghan Ellis prosecuted Dixie. The defendant was represented by attorneys Jim Parkman and Clayton Tartt.
West Precinct officers were dispatched about 11:15 p.m. Sunday, June 10, 2018 to the Shell in the 800 block of Third Avenue West on a report of a person shot. Once on the scene, they found Taylor suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Taylor was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m. the following day.
Police previously said the preliminary investigation showed Taylor and Dixie were outside the store when the shooting happened. Detectives at the time said they received conflicting accounts of what happened. One account states the shooting was accidental, and the other intentional.
Taylor was the father to an infant son. His father, Alonzo Taylor, said his son never met a stranger. "He made everyone smile and up until last night didn't have an enemy,'' Alonzo Taylor said. "He just had his first child, a son, and was a hardworking man. All this was taken from us in a cowardly senseless act."
Following Dixie’s sentencing, Alonzo Taylor said, “To find out the person who killed my son was only sentenced to 15 years rather than the max 20 didn’t really bother me. It wasn’t about years, it was about justice for my son and grandson.”
“There was no joy in it because both families lost. We lost a gentle giant loved by everyone. He never met a stranger. He made people comfortable with jokes or his big smile,’’ the still-grieving father said. “We can’t hug him or laugh at his jokes ever again here. We have to go to the cemetery to visit.”
“God willing, I’ll see him in Heaven. I forgave Keegan Dixie. Not for him, but for my peace and saving grace and I pray for him and his family,’’ he said. “They lost a loved one to prison. It’s so unfortunate but they can visit and hug and talk to him. Both were young, in the prime of their lives. It’s just a sad situation for everyone involved”