KELLOGG, IDAHO: The gunman, accused of shooting and murdering four of his neighbors, has been identified as Majorjon Kaylor. The 31-year-old Kaylor was arrested after 7:30 pm on Sunday, June 18, when the Kellogg Police Department and Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office responded to a mass shooting incident at multi-dwelling units behind the Mountain View Congregational Church in the city about 58 kilometers east of Coeur d’Alene.
Kaylor has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary for entering a neighbor’s house and fatally shooting the family including Kenneth Guardipee, 65, Kenna Guardipee, 41, Devin Smith, 18, and Aiken Smith, 16. If convicted, Kaylor could face the death penalty. He is currently being held without bond and has not yet entered a plea. Kaylor made his initial court appearance in Shoshone County on Tuesday when Judge Keisha Oxendine read out the charges against him. After the hearing, Kaylor was taken across the street by deputies to Shoshone County Jail.
Who is Majorjon Kaylor?
During his first hearing, prosecutor Benjamin Allen noted that Kaylor works at a mine in the area and is married to Kaylie Kaylor. He spent his entire life in Shoshone County and has a “sparse and sporadic criminal history,” including a number of misdemeanor driving violations and a drug possession charge. Kaylor also has the word “savage” tattooed above his right eyebrow. Few further details have been released regarding the shooting, with officials revealing that there had been a recent conflict between the families.
A week before the shooting, Kaylor's family contacted the police to report an indecent exposure incident where 18-year-old Devin was standing in front of his bedroom window, masturbating in view of Kaylor’s young daughters who were playing outside, Associate Press reported. Smith’s family lived in the bottom unit of the duplex while Kaylor’s family lived in the top one. According to an arrest affidavit, on Sunday evening, Kaylor and his wife got into a heated argument with the neighbor's mother. Kaylie told authorities that she was standing near her husband when she heard gunfire and saw Kenneth and Kenna Guardipee, both of whom were unarmed, fall to the ground.
Why Majorjon Kaylor killed the Smith’s family
"Kaylie Kaylor further noted that KAYLOR said he did what he had to do and to tell their kids he protected them," the affidavit says, adding that after the shooting, she overheard him say he had killed four people. According to the affidavit, Kaylor also told investigators that he "snapped" and "lost it" during the argument which led to the mass shooting. The charging documents allege the shootings of the two oldest victims were “premeditated and/or to execute vengeance” while the other killings were allegedly, “premeditated, to executive vengeance, and/or committed in the perpetration of burglary.” A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for July 3.
