A 16-year-old boy, Samuel Reynolds, witnessed another student being bullied and stepped in. Days later, Reynolds was shot and killed by the bully he stopped. The teen was shot at his apartment complex in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, then taken to a nearby hospital where he passed away.
Officers from the Arlington Police Department arrested a male suspect the same day, but didn’t release his identity due to his age.
“This senseless act of gun violence has no place in society and our hometown community,” Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson said in a statement. “This was an emotionally tough case for responding officers, investigators and medics. We will direct our attention to how a young teen suspect accessed a firearm used in the offense.”
Reynolds previously saw a boy being picked on. “Our victim had broken up a fight a few days prior with a smaller — what he described as a smaller– boy that was being picked on and after he broke up the fight he started having some trouble with the suspect,” Arlington Officer Christopher Cook said. Reynolds’ family believes this to be the reason behind the shooting, but it has yet to be confirmed by officials.
One of those involved in the fight was the shooting suspect, who has been identified on surveillance footage as the person who shot Reynolds with a .40 caliber gun, according to CBS. Arlington High School, which Reynolds attended as a 10th grader, hosted a candlelight vigil for the teen on campus last Friday. School administration has also confirmed the suspect is not a student of the school.
“We are sick and tired of children in our community coming in contact with firearms and possessing them and using them,” Cook said. According to CBS, police want to prosecute those involved in giving a firearm to the minor. The minor is also facing a murder charge, according to NBC News.
In a GoFundMe created by Reynolds’ cousins, they remember the young teen, “Sam loved playing soccer and going to the lake with his Grandfather…[Sam’s mother, Madison Reynolds] and Sam had a stronger bond than you could ever imagine, it has always been the two of them, the best of friends. Madison raised Sam to be the most respectful, kind-hearted person you’ve ever met.”
“We are heartbroken by this tragic loss of a young life,” Arlington High School’s Principal Shahveer Dhalla said in a statement. “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.”