Texas teen who defended bullied classmate is shot, killed days later, police, family say

ARLINGTON, Texas — A 16-year-old Texas boy is dead and a 15-year-old is charged with murder following a shooting that authorities allege stemmed from the victim’s defense of another teen days earlier.

Arlington police officials were called shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday to an apartment complex where they found Samuel Scott Reynolds suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A Facebook update less than 90 minutes later indicated police had the unnamed shooter in custody.

“The suspect, a male juvenile, was taken into custody without incident and charged with murder,” Arlington Police Department officials said in a statement. “Because of the suspect's age, state confidentiality laws prevent the public release of his name.”

The Associated Press reported Sunday that the teen was being held at a juvenile detention center. Authorities were still determining if he will be tried as a juvenile or as an adult.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which had a reporter in the courtroom for the boy’s first hearing Friday, reported that state District Judge Alex Kim said the teen was on probation at the time of Reynolds’ shooting stemming from an assault he committed at the age of 12.

“This is a community’s greatest fear,” Kim said, according to the newspaper. “I cannot let you go. Kids and guns don’t mix.”

The judge ordered that the teen remain in the juvenile facility to await trial. His case is likely to be presented to a Tarrant County grand jury, the Star-Telegram reported.

Arlington police Chief Will Johnson described the shooting as a senseless act of gun violence that “has no place in society and in our hometown community.”

“This was an emotionally tough case for responding officers, investigators and medics,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “We will direct our attention to how a young teen suspect accessed a firearm used in the offense.”

Police officials said Reynolds, a sophomore at Arlington High School, had apparently intervened in a bullying situation a few days before he was killed.

“Our victim had broke up a fight a few days prior between what he described as a smaller boy who was kinda being picked on, and after he broke up the fight, he started having some trouble with the suspect,” Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook said during a news conference Friday.

Reynolds’ mother, Madison Fletcher, told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that she told her son to stay away from the suspect following the incident. According to authorities, the suspect found Reynolds at the apartment complex where he lived.

The teen initially denied committing the crime, but Cook said security cameras at the complex captured footage of the shooting. Witnesses also told police they saw the suspect walking with Reynolds for a few moments before he fired the gunshot.

“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 reporters. “We did recover one spent shell casing. It’s a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun.”

Cook reiterated Johnson’s statement that detectives were trying to determine how the teen suspect obtained the weapon. He said any adult who allowed the boy to possess a gun will be “pursued vigorously.”

“How did he get the gun? That’s something we want answers for,” Cook said Friday. “We are sick and tired of children in our community coming into contact with firearms, and possessing them and using them in these types of manner.”

Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of the Arlington Independent School District, said last week that counselors were being provided to assist students, faculty and staff in processing their grief over Reynolds’ death. Authorities said the boy accused of shooting Reynolds is also a student in the school district, but that he attended a different school.

“The Arlington ISD asks that the community keep the family, classmates and teachers of this student in your thoughts,” Cavazos said. “The Arlington Police Department is leading the investigation and the district will support them with any needed information.”

“We truly appreciate the support everyone in our community has displayed over the last 24 hours. Sam will always be a part of the Colts family and we will never forget him,” school officials wrote on Facebook.

Reynolds was a member of the school’s soccer team, according to his obituary.

“In his spare time, he enjoyed playing video games, going to the lake to jet ski, listening to music and hanging out with his friends,” the obituary reads. “Sam was one of the most compassionate and helpful people you could ever meet. He was always there to help, whether someone needed a shoulder to cry on or a joke to laugh at.

“His charming personality and wonderful sense of humor are going to be missed by so many people.”

In a Facebook post that included photos of the teen when he was younger, Fletcher wrote that her son was “the most precious little soul that ever existed.” She described him as a happy, affectionate child.

Fletcher wrote about her son’s passion for soccer on Monday.

“He was such a great player and teammate. I remember if the opposing team hurt one of his teammates or was being too aggressive, he was the one to say something,” Fletcher wrote. “I miss my Saturday mornings at the soccer fields with him. We would sit in the car afterwards and we’d have about an hourlong conversation with, ‘Mom, did you see me juke that guy?’ And I’d always give him a play by play of what it looked like when he scored. I was so proud of him.”

Reynolds’ cousin, Courtney Fletcher, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up for the family that Reynolds and his mother “had a bond like no other.” He was her only child.

“Madison and Sam had a stronger bond than you could ever imagine. It has always been the two of them, the best of friends,” Courtney Fletcher wrote. “Madison raised Sam to be the most respectful, kind-hearted person you’ve ever met. This is an absolute tragedy to our aunt and family.”

As of noon on Monday, the fundraiser had raised nearly $34,000.

Family and friends gathered Friday night at Arlington High, which hosted a candlelight vigil for Reynolds. The Star-Telegram reported that loved ones spoke at length of his giving nature, with one friend recalling a time that Reynolds literally gave him the soccer shoes off his feet so the other teen could play while Reynolds sat out.

“I think this just encourages us to go out and to be like Sam and to follow the example that Sam has set for us,” Russell Laniyan said.

Family friend Shay Tyes said it was no surprise that the teen defended another child prior to his death. Tyes said Reynolds cared about others and did what he believed was right.

“For this child to feel like they had to go get a gun and kill someone because he defended a young person disgusts me,” Tyes said, according to the Star-Telegram. “It hurts me to the bottom of my soul. It’s unbelievable. It’s unimaginable.”

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