Inset: Taylor Lomax (Clay County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The Clay County, Florida, home where the shooting occurred (First Coast News/YouTube).
A U.S. Navy sailor has been charged with murder following an incident where he allegedly opened fire on his roommates after a dispute involving his wife at their home in northern Florida.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect as 22-year-old Taylor Lomax. He faces two counts of murder for the deaths of his housemates, 20-year-old Jordyn Forrestier and 21-year-old Noely Makenda. Both victims were also Navy sailors.
The altercation occurred late Wednesday night, around 11 p.m., at their residence on the 4400 block of Hanging Moss Drive in Clay County, a suburban area southwest of Jacksonville. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Lomax’s wife was present and became embroiled in a dispute with the roommates.
What began as an argument quickly intensified into a physical confrontation on the front lawn. During the escalation, Lomax reportedly drew a firearm and discharged approximately 30 rounds, hitting both victims multiple times, as stated by authorities.
Following the shooting, Lomax’s wife made the emergency call to 911, reporting the incident.
Lomax’s wife then called 911.
Deputies responded to the home at about 11:20 p.m. and discovered two dead women in the front yard, both appearing to have been shot multiple times. Lomax and his wife were still there, and they were both taken into custody.
According to local CBS affiliate WJAX, a woman who claimed to be Lomax’s wife approached their reporter during a newscast and said her husband was protecting her and acting in self-defense when he shot the other women. She suggested the roommates didn’t like her and hinted they would beat her up.
“I got out of my bed and said ‘Everyone has to get out.’ So once I said everyone has to get out, I came out, out on the phone with my momma,” the woman detailed. “I said ‘y’all have been disrespecting me in my house, y’all have to go.’”
She then alleged that Makenda hit her in the face, and she hit her back.
The woman added: “We got to fighting, that’s when Jordyn jumped in and they started jumping me. That’s when my husband fired shots.”
Lomax made an initial court appearance on Friday, and he is being detained in jail without bond.
The defendant is expected to appear in court again on Jan. 20, 2026.
