Former worker: Relationship between double-murder suspect and Elks Lodge was strained
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- Lamar Frederick Taylor, 43, is wanted on suspicion of two first-degree murder charges for a double shooting that took place at the Elks Lodge, across the street from the Citadel Mall on Sept. 9.
The two victims, 58-year-old James Love and 62-year-old Kevin Patterson, both of Colorado Springs, were known to Taylor. One of the Lodge leaders, Willie Wilson, indicated to KRDO that Taylor rented out the kitchen at the Elks Lodge for his restaurant, Union Cuisine, for almost a year. But in that short time, the relationship soured quickly according to one of Taylor's former workers.
Wilson said a meeting took place between Love, Patterson, and Taylor on Sept. 9, but it went "drastically wrong" and lead to a warrant for Taylor's arrest on Sept. 14. Wilson also said the Elks Lodge has a strict policy prohibiting weapons.
Taylor's former worker says his friends haven't heard from him since the incident, but he told KRDO he saw something like this coming. We're keeping his identity hidden to protect his safety.
"The situation with the Elks was bad. He used to have meetings and he'd come in the back [afterward] all mad, saying 'I think they're trying to ruin me,' and 'I don't know what's gonna go on.' So it wasn't always a good relationship between him and the Elks," the employee told KRDO.
KRDO has learned that this is far from Taylor's first incident with the law. Taylor was charged with multiple crimes in Florida between 1999-2009, including an incident where he was charged with aggravated battery involving a pregnant person.
But the former worker said that Taylor had tried to turn his life around and was dedicated to his culinary business.
"It took him 16, 17, years to get where he's at today and he just threw it away," the worker said.
The employee said things had soured a few months ago after Taylor purchased a new sign to put out in front of the Lodge that said Union Cuisine.
"The sign cost him $6,000. He did not have permission to put the sign up, but he put it up anyway," the former worker told us.
The worker said he saw an ugly situation brewing and told Taylor to leave and take his business elsewhere.
"I told Lamar, 'Well, go get out and go get a smaller kitchen, we can do that in the kitchen,' because he did have a food truck at one time, and he was doing really good. All the meetings and everything piled up and piled up and piled up, I told myself one day it's gonna happen. And it happened," he said.
