13-year-old Sinzae Reed was fatally shot by neighbor who walked free

On October 12, 13-year-old Sinzae Reed was reportedly shot and killed by 36-year-old Krieg A. Butler Sr. in Columbus, Ohio.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office initially charged Butler with murder, but a week later, on October 19, prosecutors dismissed the case in Municipal Court.

Columbus detectives say a claim of self-defense was made by Butler and his mother, but they did not further elaborate citing an ongoing investigation.

The fatal shooting of Sinzae Reed

How was Sinzae Reed killed?

Columbus police were called around 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 12 to the Wedgewood Apartments. Butler is a resident of the apartment complex.

According to police, an eyewitness who knows Butler saw him exit a red truck and fire multiple times at Sinzae, striking him several times. Butler then got into his vehicle and fled the scene, according to court records.

Officers found Sinzae suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The 13-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m.

According to Columbus detective Kenneth O’Connor, Sinzae was shot four or five times, including in his right hand and back. An autopsy report from the Franklin County Coroner’s office is not yet complete.

Little to no attention

Sinzae’s murder has received little to no attention. Megan Reed, the mother of the victim, continues to seek justice for her murdered son.

She spoke to the North Carolina Beat about Butler’s self-defense claim. Reed wants to know what reason is justifiable for charges to be dropped.

“It has been almost three months, and I haven’t spoken to anybody about this investigation,” she said.

“I haven’t even spoken to the detective. They are all on his side, Kreig is a white man, and a detective is a white man too,” Reed continued.

The grieving mother said her son’s fatal shooting occurred after a conversation in their kitchen. After their talk, Sinzae’s mother thought her son returned to his room. That’s when a neighbor banged on her door, informing her that her son had been shot. “I didn’t even know he had [gone] outside. Until the knock at my door telling me he had been shot,” she explained.

After receiving the news, she went to the scene and found her son lying in blood from gunshot wounds. She mentioned that a witness said Butler Sr. committed the crime. “Soon as I got over there, everybody was like, ‘Kreig did this, Kreig did this,’” she recalled.

According to Reed, witnesses told her that Kreig allegedly shot Sinzae and then came back around and reshot him multiple times.

Reed said Butler fled the scene but was later captured and arrested at his house the next day. She also said Butler reportedly claimed her son had a gun, but she didn’t see a weapon when she went to the scene, nor witnesses saw a gun either.

The victim’s sister, Makayla Nichols, told The Dispatch, “A grown man killed a child and nobody cares. We want to know why he’s free.”

Prosecutors could still bring case against alleged shooter

Prosecutors could still bring the shooting case before a grand jury for indictment in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, which handles felony cases like murder.

Krieg A Butler Sr. (Photo Source: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office)

A press release from Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Gary Tyack’s office Thursday afternoon said it is standard practice for almost every felony case filed in Municipal Court to be dismissed.

“Not every case initiated in Municipal Court is presented to the Grand Jury,” the release said. “This particular case is still under review for possible presentation to the Grand Jury, and unfortunately, I cannot advise you when the case will be presented to the Grand Jury.”