39-year-old Roderick Taylor showed up at his child’s mother’s apartment to see his son, where they argued, he told police, who arrived on September 19th. He said he awaited to see his son, who was still at school when he encountered Amanda Mallard, the child’s mother. He said they argued in the parking lot before she left, and he was still there when she returned. This time, they argued, and he followed her to her apartment, where he put his foot in her doorway to keep her from shutting her door.
He said he continued the argument with his foot in the door until he noticed she had brandished a knife. After he left her doorway, he said he returned to his vehicle. Police contacted Amanda, who was still in her apartment, and she told them that Roderick initially approached her as she left to pick up her child. She said he wanted to see his son, but they argued about him showing up unannounced and that the child was still at school. When she left and returned, she noticed that Roderick was still there. Roderick began banging on her car door, so she exited and took her two other children inside the apartment.
Later, she said that she had to grab batteries from her car and did not know that Roderick would still be there. He reportedly followed her to her apartment, stating, “Shut up, or I’ll hurt you,” until she got to the door, where he blocked her from closing it. She told police that she only brandished the knife because she feared Roderick attempting to enter the apartment further. He was determined to be the primary aggressor and taken into custody.