Musicians face murder charges in post-show shooting in Waterbury

Two members of a rap group that performed as an opening act at the Jim Jones concert late last month in Waterbury have been charged with murder after a drive-by shooting outside the show left one New Haven man dead and two others injured.

Andre Reed, 29, and Reginald Miles, 31, were among the group that performed before the famed rapper and reality TV star took the stage on July 24 at Off the Hook Lounge, new court records reveal.

Detectives learned through videos of the show, nearby security cameras and eyewitnesses at the scene that the pair and several associates had a firearm in their SUV when gunfire rang out after the concert ended, according to arrest warrant affidavits released this week.

Douglas Daniels, 37, was struck in the shoulder and chest by the shots and was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital but died a short time later. Another 35-year-old man was shot in the hip and a 33-year-old man was shot in the head, but they both survived, records show.

Reed was arrested Aug. 10 and Miles was arrested Thursday, more than a week after Watebury police publicly identified him as a wanted suspect and sought the public’s help locating him.

Both men were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of first-degree assault, according to police. Miles also faces another halfdozen weapons charges and a charge of reckless endangerment.

Miles remains in custody in lieu of $3 million bond and Reed on $2 million bond.

The shooting occurred just before 8:15 p.m. July 24 as concertgoers left the Off the Hook Lounge on East Farm Street following the performances by Jones and local acts, records show.

The first police officers at the scene encountered Daniels and the man who had been shot in the hip along with witnesses who had seen an SUV speed away from the scene, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. That SUV was located at the hospital where they learned a third victim had been shot in the head but would survive.

Both injured men spoke with police in the aftermath that night and one told them witnesses had seen a man in a red mask open fire, and they remembered a man performing in a red mask earlier in the afternoon as an opening act, records show. Daniels died before he could speak with police but his son, who also was at the show, also told police about the man in the red mask who had performed in the afternoon but said there were “no problems” during the concert.

Detectives reviewed social media videos of the opening act that included the man in the red mask and immediately recognized many of the men involved in the rap group, including Reed and Miles, who at one point pulled the red mask down to reveal his face while performing, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance video near the club showed Miles, Reed and two other men left the club and got into an SUV owned by Miles’ girlfriend, records show. The camera clearly captured Miles wearing a white T-shirt, holding a firearm as he entered the vehicle and putting on the red face mask as the car turned onto East Farm Street.

The young man who shared the backseat with Miles came forward to police early this month to explain what he saw happen, and he is identified in the court records only as cooperating witness one for fear of retaliation, records show.

He told police that as their SUV pulled down East Farms Street, Reed said from the driver’s seat that he spotted someone in a group outside a nearby bodega and said “there he is or there he goes,” according to the affidavit. He believed Reed mentioned a name or nickname beginning with “K” — like the name of the man who was shot in the head but survived, records show.

Miles then leaned over the young man and opened fire on the group, hitting Daniels and the two other victims before speeding away, according to the affidavit.

“I didn’t recognize anyone in the group and I don’t know why Reg (Miles) was shooting at them, there was no altercation and no words were exchanged,” the young man said in a written sworn statement. “I looked over to where Reg was shooting and I saw a guy on the ground near the sidewalk ... Reg was the only guy shooting.”

The young man then demanded to be let out of the car, according to his account.

“Reg asked us if we were scared,” he wrote in his statement. “I said I was scared and said to drop me off. I got dropped off by the Mcdonald’s near the mall and they drove towards Union Street. I haven’t had any communication with Reg or any of the other guys since. I didn’t know someone died from the shooting until I came to the police department last weekend.”

Police zeroed in on Reed in the days after the young man’s statement and arrested him last week. At the time they also announced they obtained an arrest warrant for Miles but asked for the public’s help locating him, which ultimately happened Thursday.

Both remain in custody and Miles is scheduled to return Sept. 1 to Superior Court in Waterbury. Reed is scheduled to return to court Oct. 13.