As William Reynolds sat in his personal vehicle in the 600 block of D Street NW, near the D.C. Superior Court building, he was approached by two youths. It was shortly after 10 p.m. on a Saturday evening, and the two juveniles allegedly demanded Reynolds hand over his vehicle. Unfortunately for the young suspects, they were targeting the wrong victim, and one of them was about to pay for that mistake dearly.
Unbeknownst to the alleged carjacking suspects, Reynolds was an armed federal security officer who was waiting for his shift to start, The Blaze reported. As the pair ordered him out of his vehicle, one of them “had his hand in his front waistband pocket as if he had a handgun,” Reynolds told investigators, according to a police report cited by the Washington Post. That’s when the officer decided to act.
As William Reynolds exited his vehicle, “he produced a handgun and shot one of the suspects,” the officer told investigators. Both teens began to run toward 7th Street, according to a video report from WTTG-TV about the failed carjacking, but one of them — later identified as Vernard Toney Jr — didn’t make it far. Having been shot once in the chest, the 13-year-old alleged carjacker fell to the ground.
Officers found the wounded juvenile at the scene, and he was taken to the hospital, but it was too late. Vernard Toney Jr of southeast Washington died the following day. No gun was found on the fatally shot teen. However, his accomplice, who allegedly had his hand in his pocket and Reynolds believed to be armed, ran off and was still on the loose at the time Toney Jr’s death was initially reported.
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R&I – TP
