CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Parents of Nahzir Taylor sued the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education two years after he was shot and killed by another student while getting off of a school bus.
Taylor, a 17-year-old student at Rocky River High School, was shot while getting off a bus on Lanza Drive in 2022. A new lawsuit claims school employees heard a student threaten to kill him earlier that day, but did not report it to police or parents.
In a lawsuit filed in Mecklenburg County on Nov. 27, 2024, the parents say the school was negligent ahead of the fatal shooting.
Charlotte police officers arrested two teenagers in connection to the deadly shooting the same year.
Now, Taylor's parents claim the school knew about a dangerous conflict between the students, including bullying and threats, but failed to warn parents or report anything to police.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) for comment on Saturday morning. A spokesperson said CMS cannot comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit states that on Nov. 30, 2022, hours before Taylor was shot, a fight broke out in the school cafeteria.
"A Rocky River staff member falsely accused Nahzir of being involved in the fight," the lawsuit states, adding that Taylor was not actually involved in the fight.
While still in the cafeteria, a student who was involved in the fight threatened to shoot and kill Taylor in the presence of Rocky River staff members and students, the lawsuit claims.
The events in the cafeteria that day were recorded on the school's security camera and reported to principal Kwame Stith, the parents claim.
But, no Rocky River employee notified any of Taylor's family members or police of the threat to kill him, the lawsuit said.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for information about this claim.
Had Taylor's family known about the threat, they said they would have been able to pick him up from school. Instead, Taylor rode home on the bus that day and the student who had threatened him was waiting for him at the bus stop.
The student, identified in the lawsuit as R.S., was charged with shooting Taylor in the head. Taylor died in the hospital two days later.
According to witnesses and Taylor's family, there appeared to be a group of teenagers waiting for him when the bus arrived at the neighborhood stop. Security camera footage shows three people running into a car next to where Taylor was shot. The car turned around and fled the neighborhood.
"Neither Stith nor any other agent or employee of Rocky River or CMBE took any action whatsoever to prevent R.S. from carrying out his threat to kill Nahzir," the lawsuit states, adding, R.S. was known to "significantly" bully other students in the past.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools released the following statement in 2022 following Taylor's death:
"We are saddened by the passing of Nazhir Taylor and acknowledge the impact this loss will have on our entire school community. We extend our condolences to the family and are committed to providing support to our students and staff during this difficult time."
If your loved one was impacted by this incident, WCNC Charlotte hopes to make this process less painful with our More Than A Number initiative. With your help, we want to share who your loved one was with our viewers in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you're ready, fill out the form below or send us photos, memories and other details about them to desk@wcnc.com.