17 years in prison for road rage killing of young Independence mother

An Independence man who fatally shot a young mother in Independence during a 2016 road rage incident was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison.

A Jackson County jury in June had found 41-year-old Christopher P. Taylor guilty of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the killing of Whitney Gray.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Taylor to seven years for the manslaughter conviction and 17 years for the armed criminal action. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Gray, 22, was driving with her two small children and another 16-year-old passenger when witnesses described seeing her minivan being followed by an SUV.

The SUV passed the van, almost hitting it. The vehicles pulled side-by-side at a stoplight, when witnesses said it appeared a drink or some type of liquid was thrown at the SUV.

Witnesses then heard a gunshot. The minivan stopped a short distance away, and the SUV took off.

First responders found that Gray had been fatally shot in the upper chest. The children were not injured.

Investigators traced the SUV to Taylor, who was later arrested at a motel in South Dakota.