Police say the September shooting grew out of an armed robbery near a Buford apartment complex, leaving one suspected robber dead.
BUFORD, GA — A 22-year-old man has been booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on murder and robbery charges nearly a month after an armed ambush at a Buford apartment complex left one suspected robber dead, another man wounded and nearby residents shaken by the burst of gunfire.
E’imod Sanchez Toboris Taylor faces charges of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies, according to Gwinnett County police and jail records cited by WSB-TV. Police have said Taylor was one of the suspects in the Sept. 5 robbery near 1400 Laurel Crossing Parkway. Arrest warrants obtained by WSB-TV allege Taylor and three other people confronted a man at his vehicle between 6:30 and 7 a.m., taking his jewelry and wallet. The warrants allege Taylor carried an AR-style pistol.
Gwinnett County police identified the robbery victim as Ortagus Bennett. Officers responding to the shooting found Bennett suffering from gunshot wounds, and he was taken to a hospital. In a Sept. 6 update, police said Bennett was in stable condition. Authorities also identified 23-year-old Marvin Wiley of Atlanta as one of the suspected robbers. Wiley was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Taylor was also injured during the incident.
The shooting brought a large police response to the apartment community and left evidence markers and crime scene tape around the property. Investigators processed the scene, interviewed people and canvassed the area for witnesses and other evidence. Police have described the shooting as an isolated incident and said after their initial investigation that there was no known continuing threat to the public.
But some residents told local news outlets that the official assessment has not erased their concerns. Leroy Jackson, who lives nearby, told WSB-TV that he went to a window after hearing the disturbance and saw someone holding a gun and firing. Jackson said he tried to look outside between shots while protecting his wife and calling 911. He later said the experience changed how he views the area around his home.
Jackson also raised concerns about security cameras around the apartment community. He told WSB-TV that he searched the Ellison at the Exchange property for video after the shooting and worried about what he described as a lack of cameras in the area. Another neighbor, identified by WSB-TV only as Corey, said on the day of the shooting that he initially heard three shots before hearing many more. He said the community had not previously felt unsafe to him, making the violence especially difficult.
Other residents offered similar accounts in the immediate aftermath. Janetha Middleton, who told Atlanta News First that she had lived near the community for years, described the shooting as unusual for an area where she had generally felt safe. She said at the time that she would be watching to see whether the shooting led to an increased police or security presence. Atlanta News First reported that it contacted the apartment complex about its security measures and possible changes after the shooting.
The felony murder charge against Taylor stems from a death police say occurred during the alleged armed robbery. Authorities said Wiley was a suspect in that robbery and died during the incident. The charge is an allegation, and Taylor has not been convicted in connection with the case. Publicly released police information has not established in detail who fired each of the shots during the encounter.
Two other people are identified as participants in the ambush in warrants reported by WSB-TV, but police had not publicly released their names as of the latest reports. Investigators also have not publicly provided a complete account of how the confrontation unfolded or clarified the roles of all four alleged participants. Those unanswered questions leave detectives with additional work even after Taylor’s booking.
The case remains under investigation. Gwinnett County police have continued to characterize the shooting as an isolated event, while residents who witnessed or heard the gunfire say the episode has changed how they view their surroundings. No additional suspects in the alleged ambush had been publicly identified in the latest information reviewed for this report.
Author note: Last updated October 4, 2026.