Son Of Pastor Fatally Shot In Winter Haven; Killer's Motive A Mystery

WINTER HAVEN, FL — Polk County sheriff's detectives are grappling with the reason a 22-year-old man would fatally shoot the 20-year-old son of a Winter Haven pastor, said Sheriff Grady Judd during a news conference Tuesday.

The body of Roderick Wilson Jr. was found by a passerby early Sunday morning lying in the parking lot of the Pentecostal Church of God at 1261 34th St. NW in Winter Haven. Wilson’s father is a pastor at the church, and Wilson had been living in an apartment on the church property.

That afternoon, Wilson's killer was identified as 22-year-old Taquion “Quan” Cotton, who lives a couple of streets over from the church.

The passerby called the sheriff's office and deputies arrived at 1:47 a.m. and found Wilson dead of multiple gunshot wounds.

Homicide and crime scene investigators combed the scene, collecting evidence and conducting interviews. But the break they needed came when they viewed the security video from a building that captured the shooting.

Sunday afternoon, detectives spotted Cotton in the road, not far from the crime scene. Cotton fled to a nearby home that a woman had just entered. Detectives said he battered the woman and placed her in a chokehold in an attempt to get into the home.

Cotton’s mother, who lives in the area, ran to the woman’s aid and tried to help detectives apprehend her son but Judd said Cotton began biting his mother. Deputies were ultimately forced to use a taser on Cotton to protect the two women.

Once in custody, Cotton yelled at his mother, demanding that she not press charges against him for biting her, said Judd.

“Detectives are still trying to determine Taquion Cotton’s motivation to commit this murder," Judd said. "At this time, there is no indication the two men knew each other. Despite the murderer being locked up, there is still work to be done. Please keep Roderick Wilson’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Cotton’s firearm has not been recovered.

He was charged with felony first-degree murder, felony burglary with battery, kidnapping, domestic battery with a prior conviction, harassing while committing a felony, resisting arrest with violence, tampering with physical evidence, discharging a firearm in a residential area and resisting arrest without violence.

Cotton has a criminal history of 11 felonies and nine misdemeanors including attempted murder, aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, burglaries, thefts, batteries, drugs and weapons violations and resisting arrest.

Anyone who has additional information regarding the murder or relationship of the two men is urged to call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200 or Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.