In a quiet corner of Orange Park, Florida, the typical suburban stillness was shattered late Wednesday night by a barrage of gunfire that claimed the lives of two young women. Taylor Marques Lomax, a 22-year-old U.S. Navy sailor, now sits in a Clay County jail cell, charged with two counts of second-degree murder. The victims, 20-year-old Jordyn Forrestier and 21-year-old Noely Makenda, weren’t just Lomax’s roommates; they were his fellow sailors, serving alongside him at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
The tragedy unfolded around 11:30 p.m. at a home on Hanging Moss Drive, a street where neighbors say crime is almost unheard of. According to investigators, the violence sparked from a domestic dispute that spiraled out of control. Lomax’s wife had reportedly come to the house to visit him, but an argument quickly broke out between her and the two female roommates. What started as a verbal disagreement turned physical in the front yard, and that’s when the situation took a lethal turn.
Authorities say that as the women fought, Lomax grabbed a handgun and opened fire. The scale of the violence was staggering; investigators believe Lomax fired approximately 30 rounds. Both Forrestier and Makenda were struck multiple times and were found unresponsive in the front yard when deputies arrived. Despite the chaos, Lomax and his wife remained at the scene until law enforcement took them into custody.
While the police report paints a picture of a domestic argument gone wrong, Lomax’s wife has offered a different perspective. In a raw moment captured by local news crews during a live broadcast, she claimed her husband was acting as her protector. She alleged that the roommates had a history of “disrespecting” her and claimed they had “jumped” her during the fight, leaving Lomax with no choice but to defend her. “They started jumping me,” she told reporters, suggesting the shooting was an act of self-defense.
The U.S. Navy has since confirmed that all three individuals involved were active-duty members. Lomax served as a Petty Officer 3rd Class assigned to a helicopter maritime strike squadron. For those who knew him back in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, the news is a shocking contrast to the young man seen in a viral video from last year, where he surprised his mother with an emotional homecoming after a nine-month deployment. At the time, his mother called him her “hero.”
Now, that hero narrative has been replaced by a legal battle. Neighbors like Ashley Durham, who has lived on the block for 15 years, are still reeling from the sounds of “popping noises” they initially mistook for construction or late-night fireworks. The realization that 30 shots were fired just doors away has left the community on edge, mourning two young women whose lives in the service were cut short by a dispute at their own front door.
Lomax made his initial appearance in court where a judge ordered him to be held without bond. His wife, who was initially detained for questioning, has since been released and has not been charged. As the Navy cooperates with local investigators to piece together the final moments of Jordyn Forrestier and Noely Makenda, Lomax is preparing for his next major day in court, scheduled for January 20, 2026.
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