A Winter Haven man was murdered in a church parking lot on Sunday, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news conference Monday, Sheriff Grady Judd announced the arrest of Taquion “Quan” Cotton, 22, in connection to a fatal shooting at Pentecostal Church of God in the Inwood area of Winter Haven.
Cotton was accused of fatally shooting Roderick Wilson Jr., 20, in the parking lot of the church where his father is a pastor. Wilson was living in an apartment in the church at the time of the incident.
The shooting was captured on security cameras in a nearby building, according to the sheriff’s office.
Wilson’s body was found in the parking lot at 1:47 a.m. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the site of the shooting.
Cotton was charged with first-degree murder and “several other felonies,” according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Cotton’s firearm has not yet been recovered.
Taquion Cotton was charged with 1st Degree Murder (FC), Burglary with Battery (F1), Kidnapping (F1), Battery-Domestic with Prior Conviction (F3), Harassing in a Felony Proceeding (F3), Resisting with Violence (F3), Tampering with Physical Evidence (F3), Discharging a Firearm in a Residential Area (M1), and Resisting without Violence (M1).
“Detectives are still trying to determine Taquion Cotton’s motivation to commit this murder. At this time, there is no indication the two men knew each other prior to tonight. Despite the murderer being locked-up, there is still work to be done. Please keep Roderick Wilson’s family in your thoughts and prayers.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.