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A Baltimore judge has set a date to consider whether the 15-year-old accused of shooting and killing a man who confronted him and other squeegee workers with a baseball bat should have his case sent to the juvenile justice system.
Circuit Judge Charles H. Dorsey III scheduled the hearing for Nov. 17.
The teen is charged with first-degree murder and related offenses in the killing of Timothy Reynolds, 48, of Hampden, who was shot on July 7 at the intersection of Light and Conway streets near the Inner Harbor. He was an engineer, husband and father of three.
The youth was 14 at the time and a student at Digital Harbor High School. He’s charged as an adult, but his attorneys have filed a motion to transfer the case to juvenile court.
“We’re looking forward to our day in court,” said J. Wyndal Gordon, an attorney who’s representing the teen with Warren Brown. “We are very encouraged upon receiving discovery and everything else pertaining to this case, and very confident about our presentation when we do return to court.”
Gordon said he’s also encouraged because of a recent opinion from the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, which outlines a legal standard that judges should apply when making these decisions.
Squeegee workers are mostly young Black men and boys who have for years washed windshields at various intersections in Baltimore to make money. Some people feel that they are just trying to make ends meet for their families, while others believe they deter people from coming downtown and pose a potential danger to drivers.
In Maryland, children who are 14 or older are automatically charged as adults for certain offenses, such as first-degree murder, that carry a potential life sentence. If a judge sends the case to the juvenile justice system, the court would have jurisdiction over the person charged until they turn 21.
“This case is not about washing windshields,” said Gordon, who added that there is no evidence that his client or other squeegee workers attempted to wash Reynolds’ windshield or damaged his vehicle. “It’s about an unprovoked attack by a 329-pound, 6-foot-3 adult man, wielding a bat at children.”
He said his client aspires to go to college and become an engineer. Gordon said the teen is “one of the most vulnerable members of our Baltimore community” and that his case should be sent to juvenile court.
“It’s a tragic, tragic incident,” Gordon said. “There’s going to be no winners — no matter the outcome.”
The Snyder Law Group, LLC is representing the Reynolds family and has notified the city that it intends to file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over his death.
In a statement released through the law firm, Reynolds’ wife, Shannon, has described her husband as kind, generous, charming, funny and loyal. “We are beyond devastated, and this loss has left a void in our life that can never be replaced,” she said.
In a statement, Michael Snyder, the Reynolds family’s attorney, said it was shameful that the teen’s attorneys were trying to blame their loved one for his own death.
“The evidence in this case will show that Mr. Reynolds did not in any way attack anyone or provoke anyone,” Snyder said. “He was a great son, husband and father who loved Baltimore city.”
“Unfortunately due to the gross negligence of our city’s leaders, individuals, including minors, were allowed to break laws, carry guns, threaten and attack people, and ultimately, Timmy was murdered as a result.”
Reynolds had “some type of interaction” with squeegee workers at Light and Conway streets, Baltimore Police reported. He drove through the intersection, parked his vehicle and walked across eight lanes of traffic while carrying a baseball bat, according to preliminary accounts from police and witnesses.
It’s not entirely clear what happened next.
The Baltimore Banner obtained a 45-second video of the shooting, which picks up with Reynolds walking away from the intersection while pointing the bat at several squeegee workers.
Next, Reynolds walks in front of a car and disappears from camera view. Police reported that’s when the squeegee workers “seemingly surround him.”
Reynolds runs toward the group while swinging the bat. One of the squeegee workers seems to hit him in the head. That’s when a different squeegee worker pulls out a handgun and starts shooting while running away.
The teen is being held without bail in the Youth Detention Center.
dylan.segelbaum@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Dylan Segelbaum is the courts reporter at The Baltimore Banner.
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