Witnesses reportedly told police that 13-year-old Sinzae Reed fired the first shot
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — New information Wednesday revealed a teen shot and killed at Wedgewood Village on the west side may not have been just hanging out.
13-year-old Sinzae Reed was killed in October. Krieg Butler is facing charges related to the shooting but not murder.
Wednesday, prosecutors revealed his self-defense argument holds water. Witnesses say the teen fired the first shot.
Reed's mother didn't want to speak on camera, but Dejuan Sharp, a close friend of the family, says he thinks witnesses are lying.
He says it's hard to understand why, eight months after the teen's death, whether he had a gun or not is now coming into question.
"I guess in Columbus, you can walk around and kill somebody and have your friends and have people you do things with lie for you," Sharp told WSYX.
Confusing and upsetting was how Sharp described being in court Wednesday morning.
"It's a sad day. They're using half-truths. Sinzae never had a gun," Sharp said.
During an arraignment for Butler, the man who says he shot at the teen in self-defense, the prosecution revealed new witness testimony.
A boy in a hoodie and a mask, the prosecutor said was Sinzae, shot at the Butler, and other witnesses said they saw someone moving a gun that was next to Sinzae before police got on the scene.
“Additional witnesses who further corroborated that a firearm was taken from Sinzae and they were able to corroborate where that gun was taken to," Franklin County assistant prosecutor David Zeyen said in the courtroom.
Butler was in court for two felony charges: Tampering with evidence related to the teen's death and improper handling of a firearm, which he was arrested for last week.
Butler isn't supposed to have a gun because of a theft conviction in 2010.
Prosecutors also say he got rid of the gun used to shoot Reed and didn't tell police where to find it at first.
"When police continued to press him on its whereabouts, he said that was evidence against him, and he didn't want to tell him where it was," Zeyen also said in court.
If Butler is convicted on both charges, he could face close to five years in prison. Sharp says the physical evidence doesn't back up witness claims.
"There were no bullet holes in Kreig's car, no bullet holes in the surrounding Wedgewood area, no shell casings around the police have had Sinzae's clothes. They took pictures of his fingers they did the GSR residue. They have never said anything related to a gun," Sharp added.
This new witness sound explains why a grand jury did not indict Butler for Reed's murder last week. Based on everything presented, the judge approved the prosecution's request for a high bond, setting Butler's bond at $100,000 cash surety.
