‘Shouting match to murder’: NC man who gunned down driver asks to get out of jail
A North Carolina driver charged in the shooting and killing of a Nichols man during a road rage incident in Horry County asked a judge Thursday to grant him bond.
Elijaih Thurman Taylor, 23, has remained in jail on murder charges since the January 2026 shooting that stemmed from a highway crash. Taylor is accused of killing 33-year-old Paul Jones Greenwood.
Taylor showed no emotion, staring straight forward or hanging his head as the case was laid out before the judge.
He was arrested by Horry County Police who said that Taylor shot Greenwood several times in the back with a pistol after the two became involved in an altercation following a three-vehicle accident near Star Bluff Road along Highway 90 in the Longs area.
The judge ultimately denied bond to Taylor, who was sent back to jail to await trial.
Mothers make plea to judge for their sons
Emotions were high during Thursday’s bond hearing. Family members cried as details of the shooting that day were relayed to the judge. At one point, Greenwood’s mother, Lisa Greenwood, yelled out during Morgan Martin’s defense of Taylor. A family member attempted to put their hand over Lisa Greenwood’s mouth as a bailiff walked over to escort her out of the courtroom.
“Please don’t make me leave,” Lisa Greenwood pleaded through tears with the judge, who allowed her to stay for the rest of the hearing.
Taylor’s mother, Jennifer Taylor, provided a statement, saying she had the deepest sympathy for Greenwood’s mother. “I’m not asking you to ignore what happened,” Taylor said to the judge, before asking him to grant her son bail.
Greenwood’s family also spoke during the hearing, including his mother and his 18-year-old daughter, who said that she is set to graduate high school in June, but her father won’t be there. “That’s a moment every dad should be there for,” Riley Greenwood said through tears.
Why judge decided to deny bond
The judge watched a video of the shooting which was filmed by another driver involved in the crash.
In the video, the two men can be heard telling each other to get out of one another’s faces and making threats to each other. A witness can also be heard trying to calm the two men down.
Taylor can be heard telling Greenwood he has one more chance and then Greenwood begins to walk toward Taylor. Taylor then pulls a gun from his pocket. Upon seeing the gun, Greenwood turns to run, but only gets two to three steps before Taylor fires the gun, striking Taylor in the back, Violent Crimes Assistant Solicitor James D. Stanko told the judge. The fatal shot was behind Greenwood’s ear, Stanko said.
In his argument to grant Taylor bond, Martin, Taylor’s attorney, said that the 23-year-old had no criminal history, he’s not a harm to the community and that he has family and a support system in North Carolina, which doesn’t make him a flight risk.
Martin said Taylor has been receiving threats at J. Reuben Long Detention Center, where he is being held, as well as threats online.
The crash involving Taylor and Greenwood was described as a “fender-bender,” something that could have been taken care of with insurance, Stanko said.
The fact that the crash escalated to a “shouting match to murder.... is the very definition of a danger to the community,” Stanko said.
The judge agreed with the state in his decision to deny bond, adding that “it is completely beyond me” how a fender-bender escalated to Greenwood’s death.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 3:30 PM.
