Miramar, FL (Le Floridien) — The family of 27-year-old Anthony Frantz Souvenir is left searching for answers and justice after prosecutors announced they would not pursue charges in the fatal shooting that claimed his life earlier this year inside a busy Walgreens pharmacy in Miramar.
The incident happened on February 3, inside the Walgreens located at 2499 SW 101st Avenue (Palm Ave), where Souvenir was shot and killed following what authorities have now determined was a case of self-defense. Tragically, the shooting occurred on the very day of Souvenir’s 27th birthday, turning what should have been a milestone into a moment of irreversible loss.
Jaime Taylor, 28, the man who pulled the trigger, will not face prosecution. According to investigators, Taylor was provoked and threatened by Souvenir, who was at the store with his girlfriend and their 1-year-old son.
“I guess he thought I was looking at his girl or something,” Taylor said after charges were dropped. “He told me I was looking too hard.”
Taylor said the situation escalated quickly. He alleged that Souvenir confronted him verbally, accused him of staring at his girlfriend, and eventually mentioned that he too was armed. Taylor claims he only fired his weapon after seeing Souvenir reach for his gun.
“When he pulled it out, I shot,” Taylor said, recounting that Souvenir walked away and then returned from the back of the store, threatening to “show him something.”
Police say Taylor fled the scene after the shooting because he was being fired at, leaving his phone behind. He later returned to the store once he saw officers had arrived and was taken into custody.
After reviewing witness statements, surveillance footage, and physical evidence, prosecutors concluded that Taylor acted to protect himself in a potentially life-threatening situation.
“Unfortunately, that had to happen,” Taylor said. “But I just know at the moment, it was kill or be killed.”
The decision has drawn mixed reactions, with some in the community pointing to Florida’s broad self-defense laws—including its “Stand Your Ground” provisions—as contributing to a climate where gun violence is too easily excused. Others believe Taylor was within his rights to defend himself.
Taylor, once a standout high school quarterback at Booker T. Washington High and a former college football player at Northwest Missouri State, said he now plans to return to school and focus on raising his 1-year-old daughter.
“I’m sorry for the loss. I’m sorry it had to happen like that,” he added. “I pray for the family.”
Souvenir’s funeral was handled by Saint-Fort Funeral Home in North Miami Beach, where relatives and friends came together to honor and grieve the life lost. In the aftermath of the tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign was created by his mother, Linda Souvenir, with a fundraising goal of $50,000 to help cover funeral costs and support the family. The campaign garnered a total of $4,174 from 74 donors. The heartbreak has been even more profound as Linda Souvenir is currently battling a recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, adding to the emotional and financial burden facing the family.
As Souvenir’s loved ones mourn a man who went out for a routine errand and never came home, they do so knowing there will be no trial, no conviction, and no legal closure—only a painful reminder of how quickly a moment of conflict can turn deadly.
