The shooting death of Sinzae Reed by Krieg Butler continues to garner national attention and spark outrage. On Friday, seven months after the 13-year-old’s death, Butler was indicted on charges of tampering with evidence and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, but surprisingly received no murder charge against him related to the shooting. According to court documents obtained by ABC News, Reed was found to have no weapon, and Butler still claimed self-defense in the shooting, sparking outrage among the people of Columbus, Ohio, and the teen’s family.
Reed’s family is planning a protest in response after multiple witnesses had testified under oath before the grand jury. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s rush to implement stand-your-ground legislation without giving proper legal guidance to the police and courts was also mentioned in a statement by Reed’s mother, Megan. “The family, although disappointed with the grand jury decision, we will not be deterred from getting justice on a federal level,” she said. “We believe our local government is grasping at the lowest hanging fruit. Partly because of [Ohio governor] Mike DeWine’s rush to implement stand your ground legislation without giving our courts and police, proper legal guidance.”
The case will be actively prosecuted, according to Franklin County Governor G. Gary Tyack’s office. This tragic incident highlights the ongoing issue of racial injustice and police brutality. The fact that Butler claimed self-defense while Reed was unarmed raises questions about the legitimacy of this claim and whether race played a role in the decision not to charge him with murder. The Black community is rightly outraged at what they see as yet another example of systemic racism.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting are still unclear, but Butler reportedly told investigators that he had acted in self-defense.
The shooting also raises questions about the role of self-defense claims in these types of cases. While it is essential to protect oneself from harm, the use of deadly force should always be a last resort. The circumstances surrounding Sinzae Reed’s death remain unclear, but many are calling for another thorough investigation into the shooting to provide answers and accountability.
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Back in January, Sinzae’s mom said that she needed justice for what happened to her son and she wasn’t going to stop until the man responsible for his untimely death would be punished. “I need justice for my son. My son’s no longer here,” she said. “I’m going to continue this war, and I will be his voice until he gets justice.”
She added, “I’m very frustrated because I know if it was the other way around…if it was a Black man and my child was white, the Black man would be in jail and my son would have justice.”