CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Charleston City Council approved Tuesday a resolution to rename a portion of West Second Street in honor of a former Capital High School student.
Council members passed the measure designating the 900 block of West Second Street as KJ Taylor Lane.
Taylor died in April 2021 after being shot on Central Avenue. Dekotis Thomas, 20, of St. Albans, entered a Kennedy plea in August, acknowledging the state had enough evidence to convict him for Taylor’s death.
Taylor was a well-known student at Capital High School and a member of the institution’s football and basketball teams.
“Many people in the city loved KJ,” Councilmember Larry Moore said. “To this day, kids still wear number six because of KJ. It’s such a sad incident that didn’t have to happen at all.”
Moore noted the honor is another step in recognizing Taylor’s impact; a foundation has been established, in which its efforts have included distributing school supplies before the school year and turkeys last Thanksgiving.
“We’re just trying to take the bad and make it into a positive thing,” he said.
Taylor’s family attended the city council’s meeting on Tuesday.