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Squeegee worker guilty of manslaughter in case exemplifying Baltimore's racial and class divides
Squeegee worker guilty of manslaughter in case exemplifying Baltimore’s racial and class divides
The Associated Press
July 27, 2023, 1:43 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) — Following a 10-day criminal trial rife with racial and political overtones, a Baltimore teenager was found guilty Thursday of voluntary manslaughter in the deadly shooting of a baseball bat-wielding driver who approached youths washing windshields at a busy downtown intersection last summer.
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys tried to assign some responsibility to Timothy Reynolds, who armed himself with a metal bat and confronted the group of windshield washers near the city’s Inner Harbor during rush hour. Reynolds, 48, was shot five times, including three gunshot wounds to his back. ... “I would submit to you that Mr. Reynolds was the author of his own death,” defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon said during closing arguments Monday.
The defense repeatedly highlighted the differences in size and maturity between the victim, a white man weighing over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), and the African American defendant, a high school student who turned 15 the day after the shooting. He stood trial in adult court, but The Associated Press is withholding his name because he’s a minor. ... Prosecutor Cynthia Banks argued the defendant was old enough to retrieve a handgun, conceal his face behind a mask, pull the trigger and flee the scene. ... Being “14 is not a free pass to murder,” she told the jury, which started deliberations after lunch Monday and reached a verdict late Thursday morning. “He’s old enough to be held accountable.”
The high-profile tragedy reignited longstanding debate last year about Baltimore’s squeegee workers, mostly Black teens from disadvantaged backgrounds. City leaders have since banned the practice at certain high-traffic intersections and stepped up efforts to connect squeegee workers with more legitimate job opportunities. ... “We’re talking about kids,” attorney Warren Brown said during closing arguments Monday, saying police and prosecutors were painting all squeegee workers with the same broad brush. He said most don’t live in neighborhoods where they could mow lawns or pick up other odd jobs. ... “They’re just out there making some money … but it irritated this man,” he said.
The prosecution’s case included surveillance and dashcam video that captured parts of the interaction, but it remains unclear why Reynolds hastily parked his SUV, leaving it running with the radio blasting, and marched across roughly 10 lanes of traffic. Neither the video footage nor witness accounts revealed what words were exchanged before the brief confrontation turned deadly.
{snip}
After the verdict, attorney Brown said he will request that sentencing take place in juvenile court, which could result in more leniency. He also said he plans to appeal an earlier decision to try the case in adult court.
Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
The Associated Press
July 27, 2023, 1:43 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) — Following a 10-day criminal trial rife with racial and political overtones, a Baltimore teenager was found guilty Thursday of voluntary manslaughter in the deadly shooting of a baseball bat-wielding driver who approached youths washing windshields at a busy downtown intersection last summer.
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys tried to assign some responsibility to Timothy Reynolds, who armed himself with a metal bat and confronted the group of windshield washers near the city’s Inner Harbor during rush hour. Reynolds, 48, was shot five times, including three gunshot wounds to his back. ... “I would submit to you that Mr. Reynolds was the author of his own death,” defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon said during closing arguments Monday.
The defense repeatedly highlighted the differences in size and maturity between the victim, a white man weighing over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), and the African American defendant, a high school student who turned 15 the day after the shooting. He stood trial in adult court, but The Associated Press is withholding his name because he’s a minor. ... Prosecutor Cynthia Banks argued the defendant was old enough to retrieve a handgun, conceal his face behind a mask, pull the trigger and flee the scene. ... Being “14 is not a free pass to murder,” she told the jury, which started deliberations after lunch Monday and reached a verdict late Thursday morning. “He’s old enough to be held accountable.”
The high-profile tragedy reignited longstanding debate last year about Baltimore’s squeegee workers, mostly Black teens from disadvantaged backgrounds. City leaders have since banned the practice at certain high-traffic intersections and stepped up efforts to connect squeegee workers with more legitimate job opportunities. ... “We’re talking about kids,” attorney Warren Brown said during closing arguments Monday, saying police and prosecutors were painting all squeegee workers with the same broad brush. He said most don’t live in neighborhoods where they could mow lawns or pick up other odd jobs. ... “They’re just out there making some money … but it irritated this man,” he said.
The prosecution’s case included surveillance and dashcam video that captured parts of the interaction, but it remains unclear why Reynolds hastily parked his SUV, leaving it running with the radio blasting, and marched across roughly 10 lanes of traffic. Neither the video footage nor witness accounts revealed what words were exchanged before the brief confrontation turned deadly.
{snip}
After the verdict, attorney Brown said he will request that sentencing take place in juvenile court, which could result in more leniency. He also said he plans to appeal an earlier decision to try the case in adult court.
Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.