MCS-20
The Case of the Hair-Trigger Temper
On December 30, 1994, Michael J. Otto, age 21, was out on the town with some friends. After taking his girlfriend home, Otto and two other young men decided to stop at Don's Store 24 for a breakfast biscuit.
Don's Store 24 was a convenience store located at the intersection of Sprigg and Morgan Oak streets in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The store was open all night.
It was about 2:30 a.m. when Michael Otto and his two friends went to Don's Store 24. They went inside and got breakfast sandwiches.
Homer Markhart, a Cape Girardeau Police Officer, had just arrested someone on the parking lot of Don’s Store 24 right when Otto arrived. A crowd of angry people still milled about as Michael Otto and his friends went into the store.
It didn't take Otto and his friends long to get their sandwiches. They stood around eating them for a few minutes and then left the store.
When Michael Otto went outside, he noticed that there was still a large crowd of people, mostly African-Americans, on the parking lot.
That's when Michael Otto, who was white, made his first mistake. He said, "Let's get out of here." He must have sounded nervous.
A short African-American male standing nearby made fun of him, saying, "Let's get out of here! Let's get out of here!"
That's when Michael Otto made his second mistake. He asked, "Are you mocking me?"
That comment nearly cost him his life.
As soon as he said the words, he was struck from behind by a different African-American male, later identified as Andy D. Taylor. Otto doubled over in surprise and pain. When he looked up, Andy D. Taylor was pulling a gun on him.
Michael Otto had never seen Andy D. Taylor before in his life. He did not swing at, hit or otherwise attack Andy D. Taylor in any way. Neither Otto nor either of his two companions carried any sort of weapon.
The only things they had in their hands were the remains of the breakfast sandwiches.
Breakfast biscuits are no defense against a man whose rage and hair-trigger temper makes him want to kill.
As soon as Michael Otto saw the gun being pulled, he started turning to run.
He saw Andy D. Taylor pointing the gun at him. He heard the shooting start. As he was running he felt the bullets hitting him.
Michael Otto ran across the parking lot of Don's Store 24 and fled around the corner of the store. Andy D. Taylor chased him across the parking lot, shooting him again and again, a total of 7 times.
Andy D. Taylor repeatedly shot Michael Otto in the back as Otto, completely unarmed, fled from the unprovoked attack.
Otto eventually collapsed a half block from Don's Store 24. His friends and Cape Police Officer Homer Markhart found him within minutes, and he was rushed to the hospital.
The shooter ran off into the night.
The Major Case Squad was called out to work what was expected to be a homicide. People don’t often recover from seven gunshot wounds to the body.
Otto had been shot six times in the back and once in the leg. His liver was hit; his kidney was hit; his lung was hit. The bullets just missed his spine.
As the Emergency Room doctors at Southeast Hospital worked feverishly to save Michael J. Otto's life, the Major Case Squad begin trying to identify the shooter.
Otto and his companions were little help. None of them had ever seen the shooter before. They had no idea as to his identity.
The people in the crowd of Don’s Store 24, who had been congregating in the street at 2:30 a.m., were by and large not friends of law enforcement. Most of them claimed to have seen nothing, even though it was clear that numerous people had undoubtedly seen what happened.
The big break came when the staff at Don’s Store 24 allowed the police to play back the videotape inside the store. Although the shooting could not be seen, it could be heard. Three young African-American women in the store were captured on film, looking out the window, and exclaiming, "Look! Andy is in a fight with that white guy!"
By that time, the girls had already given statements claiming to have seen nothing. Once the tape was played for each, together with a reminder that lying to police conducting an investigation can constitute the crime of hindering prosecution, the girls eventually admitted that they knew the identity of the shooter: Andy D. Tayler, 21.
Once Taylor was identified, his photograph was placed into a photo lineup and shown to Otto’s friends. One was able to pick out Taylor as the shooter.
Eventually, other people in the crowd outside Don’s Store 24 admitted to having seen the shooting, and also identified Taylor.
Meanwhile, medical staff at Southeast Hospital including Dr. Ronald M. Richmond, Dr. Michael A. Kolda, Dr. J. R. Felker and others were saving the life of Michael J. Otto. He pulled through the surgery and made a complete recovery.
Otto ultimately joined the other witnesses in testifying at the jury trial of Andy D. Taylor and identifying him as the shooter. Taylor was found guilty of first degree assault and armed criminal action. Circuit Judge John W. Grimm sentenced him to life in prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.