WELLINGTON, Fla. (WPEC) — A dispute over the location of a basketball hoop and their property line led to the shooting death of a husband and wife in the Village of Wellington over the weekend, the man accused of killing them told a witness, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) reported.
The witness explained to deputies he heard the gunshots and went outside to find his two neighbors covered in blood, a probable cause affidavit against the suspect, Norman Scott, stated. While the witness tried offering first aid, the suspect walked out of his home.
According to the witness, he next went up to Scott to see if the latter had heard what happened, only to be told, “Don’t worry. I shot them both.” The alleged admission was followed by Scott’s claims about the cause of conflict and his assertion that the victims attacked him first.
The deputies who responded to the home on Galleria Street around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday reported they did not find any weapons near the victims, Taylor and Tara Jones. However, with the help of another witness, they did report finding the eight surveillance cameras outside Scott’s home.
Their account of the footage from two of the cameras started with Taylor Jones picking up trash in a yard and moving a children’s bicycle to the front of his home. Moments later, Scott is seen motioning Jones over to him and the two men start talking. Investigators noted Scott was “clearly upset and appeared to be yelling at Taylor Jones,” PBSO stated. Conversely, the affidavit explicitly states Jones never appeared “aggressive, threatening, volatile, or belligerent.”
Investigators contrasted their arm motions, saying Scott was belligerently pointing and waving a hand in Jones’ face, while the latter’s gestures were described as non-threatening. Many of the gestures, the affidavit added, were directed toward the basketball hoop.
Less than 30 seconds after calling Jones over, Scott had pulled a firearm and soon fired three or four shots at the retreating Jones before standing over the victim and continuing to fire, PBSO alleges. Jones’ wife was still on her property and 20 to 30 feet away from Scott when he allegedly turned the gun on her. Detectives stated she was retreating, and Scott was advancing when he started shooting. After shooting her, the affidavit states, Scott went back into his home, firing two more shots at Taylor Jones as he walked by.
The whole encounter took less than a minute, according to PBSO’s timeline.
Scott, 63, was booked early Sunday morning on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm. During his first appearance that day, a judge ordered him held without bond.
He waived his arraignment through his attorney and entered a plea of not guilty, court documents show. He is due back in court on June 3.
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