Mother of Lexington shooting victim confronts suspect in court, calls him a ‘coward’
The mother of a man shot and killed this month in Lexington confronted her son’s suspected killer at a hearing Monday morning, calling him a “coward.”
Phillip McElroy, 32, is charged with murder in the death of Tai’ Maricus Warner, 24, who died at the scene of the shooting on the 400 block of Ohio Street just after midnight March 11, the Lexington Police Department said.
Warner was found with two gunshot wounds to the head and chest, according to police testimony.
Sherricka Warren, the victim’s mother, said Monday that McElroy not only took her son, but also took the family’s heart.
“These streets don’t make you a man,” she said. “Making something of yourself makes you a man, and doing what is right, leaving the world with something to remember you by. Not a murder.”
Lexington Police Department Detective Corey Sutton testified that a resident turned over camera footage showing McElroy and Marquise Clark, 26, with masks and gloves on after the shooting.
McElroy was arrested several days later on March 14. Clark was arrested in Michigan on March 26. Probable cause was found to send his case to the grand jury on April 7 to determine if criminal charges will be filed. Clark’s bond remains at $750,000.
Sutton said McElroy was identified through the footage because of face and neck tattoos that matched previous arrest records.
Police located a Glock firearm in the direction the suspects were seen walking on video footage. Later testing would confirm the firearm matched shell casings found at the scene.
McElroy’s attorney, Ben Church, asked if police had identified a motive for the shooting. Sutton said the case was still being investigated, and he was not able to disclose a motive on Monday.
McElroy is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center on a $750,000 cash bond.
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 1:31 PM.
