Teenage worker sentenced for fatally shooting man carrying a bat
A Baltimore judge sentenced a teen to 15 years in prison Monday for fatally shooting a man who confronted his group of squeegee workers downtown with a baseball bat in 2022.
Circuit Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer suspended an additional 20 years’ incarceration and ordered five years of supervised probation upon the 16-year-old’s release.
Before imposing the punishment, Schiffer denied a request from the teen’s lawyers to have him sentenced to the custody of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. That agency loses jurisdiction over a person once they turn 21, which Schiffer said was “unacceptable” given the facts of the fatal shooting.
She instead recommended the teen for the Patuxent Youth Program, a treatment program in a maximumsecurity prison that helps address problems that may have led a person to commit a crime. Part of the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, that program can’t accept someone until they turn 18. That means the 16-year-old will remain at the Youth Detention Center in Baltimore for about two more years.
Schiffer said her decision recognized two realities: Her ruling couldn’t bring back Timothy Reynolds, the 48-year-old who was gunned down at the intersection of East Conway and Light streets, and that no matter what sentence she imposed — the maximum allowable by law was 35 years — the teen who shot him dead would be released into the community.
“There are no winners here,” Schiffer said.
The Baltimore Sun is not identifying the teen because of his age.
The punishment came at the end of a tense and emotional hearing that spanned nearly five hours and struck a balance between requests from prosecutors, who asked for the maximum penalty, and defense attorneys, who advocated for a handful of years’ incarceration for their client. In Maryland, people convicted of felony crimes are eligible for parole after serving 50% of the sentence.
Following a three-day trial in July, a jury found the teen guilty of voluntary manslaughter, using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence and handling a handgun as a minor.
The panel acquitted the teen of first- and seconddegree murder, finding that his actions were somewhat justified by selfdefense or the defense of others. Had the teen — who was 14 when he shot Reynolds and turned 15 the next day — been charged only with the crimes he was convicted of, his case never would have made it to adult court.
Cameras captured much of the deadly encounter in the afternoon of July 7, 2022, at the bustling downtown intersection adjacent to the Inner Harbor. Prosecutors played the video at trial.
The footage showed window washers ducking in and out of traffic looking for customers long before Reynolds pulled up to the stoplight in a Volkswagen SUV. The teen defendant leaned against Reynolds’ car shortly after he arrived.
As Reynolds drove away when the light turned green, the teen, who was wearing a pink shirt, ran to grab a crossbody bag sitting on the curb. Police later recovered a gun from the bag.
Reynolds drove through the intersection, parked, retrieved a metal bat from his car and walked across approximately 10 lanes of traffic to confront the teens.
After back-and-forth aggressions, Reynolds swung the bat in the direction of a squeegee worker. Almost simultaneously, another worker threw an object at Reynolds, hitting him in the head. He appeared to stumble. That’s when the teen shot Reynolds five times, striking Reynolds’ face, neck and back. The husband and father of three died at a hospital.
“My heart goes out to the family of Timothy Reynolds,” Schiffer said before announcing the sentence. “I realize your sorrow is unfathomable.”
Reynolds’ relatives testified in court Monday about the impacts of his loss on their lives. They remember him as a loving father, brother, son, friend and community member. Infectiously funny and intelligent, he loved Baltimore sports and was a nerd for Marvel comics and the card game Magic: The Gathering, family members said.
Reynolds’ widow, Shannon, said their children would feel his absence at baseball games, college graduations and family dinners.
“There is a void that is glaring for these kids,” Shannon Reynolds said.