On March 5, 2024, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office released the identity of the 62-year-old Mount Vernon man who perished in a vehicular incident the prior afternoon. The deceased has been identified as Thomas Taylor.
Mr. Taylor was struck and subsequently run over by a pickup truck while working on a vehicle in an alleyway located near his residence on the 2800 block of Veterans Memorial Drive.
A preliminary investigation conducted by the Mount Vernon Police Department indicates that Mr. Taylor and 45-year-old Robert Lewis were involved in a verbal altercation. The incident resulted in damage to both vehicles. Mr. Lewis then departed the scene in his truck and allegedly struck Mr. Taylor.
Emergency personnel treated Mr. Taylor at the scene before transporting him to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Mr. Lewis arrived at the Mount Vernon Police Station shortly after the incident while operating the suspected involved pickup truck.
The Mount Vernon Police Department launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter. This investigation involved detectives from the department, a crime scene technician, and an accident reconstruction team from the Illinois State Police. In collaboration with the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s Office, a warrant was obtained to collect blood and urine samples from Mr. Lewis. The samples will be analyzed by the Illinois State Crime Lab. The investigation remains ongoing, and potential modifications to the charges against Mr. Lewis may occur based on the findings and forensic results.
The initial report of the incident was received by the police department at 4:32 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.