ST. LOUIS – The man accused of hijacking a plane in Belize used to be a teacher in the St. Louis region. 

Akinyela Taylor died Thursday when officials say he was shot while trying to hijack a small airplane with 14 passengers on board. His sister spoke with FOX 2 regarding the incident.

“My family is so lost we don’t understand any of this,” Khara Taylor, Akinyela Taylor’s sister, said. 

Khara Taylor says there was no indication her brother would try to hijack a plane in Belize. 

“A few weeks ago, I talked to him. I just know he said he’s getting more spiritual, and I think he went out there to clear his head and that was it—just to be one with God and I don’t know nothing about what else is going on,” Khara Taylor said. 

A well-educated man, Akinyela Taylor landed a job teaching history at Hazelwood Central. 

“He graduated with his master’s. He was just very intelligent, and he loved teaching. He loved coaching,” Khara Taylor said. 

Public teacher pay records show he worked there as recently as 2017.

Troi Merriweather was in his history class. 

“He really felt like an uncle that I could talk to in a school setting. He made me feel comfortable about coming to him about my home life, my outside life, everything that I was really dealing with,” Merriweather said.  

He was then an assistant football coach for one season at McCluer North High School. 

Khara Taylor says he also taught somewhere overseas. 

“He knew everything that we were going through as students, but Mr. Taylor was the one who would help you with your problems but forget about his,” Merriweather said.  

Khara Taylor said her brother moved to St. Louis when he entered the Air Force, where he served for 13 years. 

A Linkedin page in his name says he worked for the 157th Air Operations Group at Jefferson Barracks.