Texas teen shot dead by bully two days after defending a younger boy
A Texas teenager who defended a younger boy from getting attacked was allegedly shot dead by the infuriated bully just two days later, according to reports.
Brave Samuel Reynolds, 16, had stepped in to protect a 15-year-old from being assaulted by another boy in Arlington early last week, police told NBC News Dallas Fort-Worth.
“After he broke up the fight, he started having trouble with the suspect,” Arlington Police Lt. Christopher Cook told the station.
On Thursday — just two days after the confrontation — Reynolds was gunned down in a communal area of his apartment complex.
A boy aged between 13 and 15 who lives in the same complex was arrested, and police say he was the same boy Reynolds had earlier confronted, according to NBC.
He is not being identified because of his age, the reports say.
The suspect initially denied involvement in the shooting, but security camera footage showed the killing, cops told NBC.
“He pulls out a handgun from the rear part of his pants he was wearing, points it at the victim and fires one round,” Cook told NBC, saying they found a shell casing from a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
The teen faces a murder charge and has been transported to a juvenile detention center, but it remains unclear whether he will be tried as an adult or child, NBC said.
“This senseless act of gun violence has no place in society and our hometown community,” Arlington police chief Will Johnson said on Twitter.
Calling it “an emotionally tough case” for responding officers, he said: “We will direct our attention to how a young teen suspect accessed a firearm used in the offense.”
Students and teachers gathered at Arlington High School on Friday for a candlelight vigil to remember their former pupil. The suspect was in the same school district but not in the high school, officials said.
“We are heartbroken by this tragic loss of a young life,” principal Shahveer Dhalla said of Reynolds.
“He touched the lives of many of our Arlington students and teachers, and he will be missed. We are keeping our thoughts and prayers with Sam’s family and friends.”
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