NoDa shooting victim remembered as ‘glue of the family’ by her brother

To the people around her, Taylor Sylver was known for her unwavering devotion to those she loved.

Part of a big family with four brothers, three sisters and 18 nieces and nephews, she was described as a soul who brought comfort to those around her. Originally from New York, she was known to those who love her as Tay.

Last Thursday, Sylver and her friend decided to go for a night out.

While out, she was shot in NoDa’s business district on the 3200 block of N. Davidson St., a popular gathering spot. She was taken to the hospital at about 2:10 a.m. and later died from her injuries, according to CMPD Capt. Lucas Veith.

Police later arrested 26-year-old Adaysia Yahel Coles without incident in Birmingham, Ala., in connection with the killing. Coles will be extradited to Charlotte. Taylor’s brother, Morris Sylver, is now speaking out and calling for an end to gun violence.

‘That just wasn’t the case’

He said the narrative surrounding her death has been wrong.

“Media outlets said that the fight was over a man, and that just wasn’t the case,” Morris said. “My sister would never fight over a man.”

He said the confrontation began as a misunderstanding at a bar where Taylor was out with her best friend and sister-in-law, Lisa. Morris said Taylor accidentally brushed against Coles, and that Lisa attempted to de-escalate the situation.

“They even picked the girl’s purse up when she dropped it and handed it to her,” he said. “They tried to calm her down, told her they didn’t want to fight.” Morris said the women had not met before that night.

He described Taylor as the glue of the family.

“She’s the only one that was always trying to put us back together,” he said.

Taylor was the seventh of nine children. As he spoke, Morris laughed while recounting their childhood. “They called us the Hood Brady Bunch because there were three girls and three boys, I’m the oldest boy,” he said.

In typical big brother fashion, Morris said he’d often attempt to mold Taylor into a role of his liking.

“I used to try to either make her be a boy, so she would be like my little brother, or make her like a family dog because we never really had one,” he added. “I was like the typical big brother. She would remind me of that even well into my 40s.”

He said his most recent memory of his sister was just days before her death. “My last memory of her was the weekend before this happened,” Morris said. “It was my birthday, and she was the one that came and took me out to lunch.”

Morris said he will now make it his life mission to advocate against gun violence.

“We’ve lost somebody, but we didn’t have to,” He said.

Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to call CMPD Detective Ben Condron at 704-432-8477 or the Charlotte Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 704-334-1600.