Lakeland man gets 30 years in prison for gun charge tied to Christmas Eve shooting that killed grandmother

LAKELAND, Fla. - A Lakeland man was sentenced to 30 years in prison after investigators linked him to the firearm used in a Christmas Eve 2020 shooting that killed a 70-year-old grandmother and injured three members of her family.

The State Attorney’s Office announced that Taqiy Lewis, 29, was sentenced after pleading guilty in March to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon in connection with a shooting.

Lakeland firearm sentencing

What we know:

According to court records, the shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2020, outside a Lakeland home.

Prosecutors said Lewis and others got in a shootout outside the residence, where Maebelle Cooper, 70, was spending Christmas Eve with family, including young children.

Cooper was hit twice and killed by the gunfire.

Three other people were also wounded, including Cooper's daughter, Shawanda Lamones, Lamones' husband and the couple's 13-year-old daughter.

Forensic breakthrough

Dig deeper:

Investigators said the breakthrough came more than two years later.

On Feb. 9, 2023, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and officers with the Lakeland Police Department recovered a pistol while serving a search warrant while investigating an unrelated drive-by shooting that injured 11 people.

According to prosecutors, forensic testing through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) determined the handgun was the same firearm used in the Christmas Eve shooting.

Investigators said six shell casings recovered from the crime scene, two bullets recovered from the residence and the projectile recovered from Cooper's body were all fired from the pistol Lewis possessed.

Authorities said Lewis was legally not allowed to possess a firearm because he was already a convicted felon at the time of the shooting.

Federal prosecutors also said evidence showed Lewis tried to hide his involvement after the shooting by using a fake alibi and having the jacket and sandals he wore during the shooting burned in a barrel.

Christmas Eve shootout tragedy

The backstory:

The Christmas Eve shooting stemmed from an earlier confrontation at Simpson Park, according to investigators.

Authorities previously said Shawanda Lamones' teenage son had gone to the park to purchase an iPhone when he was robbed at gunpoint. After a confrontation, the family returned home.

A short time later, investigators said multiple vehicles arrived at the family's residence and gunfire erupted outside the home.

Cooper, who had just arrived to spend Christmas Eve with her family and make gingerbread houses, was killed. Three relatives survived their injuries.

Federal officials initially charged Lewis in 2025 with being a convicted felon in possession of the firearm connected to the shooting. 

Homicide investigation

What's next:

Although Lewis has now been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on the firearms conviction, prosecutors said he remains under investigation by state law enforcement for Cooper's death.

LakelandCrime and Public Safety