Gig Harbor man fatally shot last week has been identified. His girlfriend is charged
A Gig Harbor man who was fatally shot, allegedly by his girlfriend, while three children were inside their home June 26 has been identified.
Reginald Anderson-Taylor, 39, died from a gunshot wound to the torso at a home near the 6300 block of Ray Nash Drive Northwest. His manner of death is listed as a homicide, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
His girlfriend, 34-year-old Melissa Dawn Wells, was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, court records show. Wells is being held at Pierce County Jail on a $1 million bail.
Wells claimed she mistakenly shot Anderson-Taylor because she was paranoid there was someone inside the house. She and Anderson-Taylor were drinking and doing drugs prior to the shooting, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors allege that the trajectory of the bullets contradicts Wells’ claims that Anderson-Taylor was facing away from her when she fired the gun. Her daughter also told detectives her mom jumped onto the victim’s back, and the two of them wrestled around. It was then when the shot was fired from Wells’ gun, records state.
This story was originally published July 3, 2024 at 3:43 PM.
