Former PUBG pro TaylorJay dead after police manhunt over attempted homicide

Former PUBG professional Taylor ‘TaylorJay’ Jeffrey Johnson is dead, shooting himself after the Pennsylvania State Police closed in on him at the end of a five-hour manhunt over an attempted homicide. The 24-year-old was treated on the scene, but died from his injuries.

Johnson, 24, fled the police after they attempted to arrest him for an outstanding homicide warrant. As reported by PennLive, state police were notified of his presence in Adams County around 3pm. 

They found his vehicle abandoned on Route 234 soon after.

Pennsylvania State Police trooper Megan Ammerman told local media the police searched for Johnson for five hours. When they encountered him at the end of the search, Johnson shot himself.

Ammerman explained to media: “At that point, we were attempting to place him into custody, and he had a firearm on him and shot and killed himself.”

The homicide warrant the Pennsylvania State Police acted on was due to an altercation between Johnson and a woman in her 20s the day before. Johnson shot the woman multiple times. The shooting was believed to be the result of a domestic dispute. The woman was transported to a hospital and has since been listed as in stable condition.

Local media suggest Johnson believed he had killed the woman, and “went on the run,” traveling from North Carolina to Pennsylvania the following day.

Johnson played professional PUBG from 2018 to late 2020, competing in more than two dozen events and earning more than $16,000 under the gamertag “TaylorJay”. He represented esports organizations like eUnited, Exodus, and Pure Gaming across his 29-month career.

TaylorJay last competed with YAHO in September 2020.