BALTIMORE — A squeegee kid accused of killing Tim Reynolds following a July altercation in downtown Baltimore will be tried in juvenile court.
On Monday, defense attorneys and prosecutors reached an agreement to move the case out of adult court, in exchange for pleading guilty to manslaughter.
If accepted by a Circuit Court judge on Thursday, the teen would face between 9 and 18 months in juvenile detention.
An Assistant Baltimore City State's Attorney initially assigned to the case previously offered the now 15-year-old a plea deal that would have put him behind bars for 60-years.
His lawyers, J. Wyndal Gordon and Warren Brown quickly rejected that proposal. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby later issued a statement, saying the offer was not authorized or approved by her office.
The teen and his attorneys have long claimed self defense.
Preliminary reports indicated that Reynolds, 48, was shot to death after he first swung a bat at a group who was squeegeeing at Light and E. Conway Streets.
WMAR obtained a police report which cites video evidence suggesting that might not have been the case.
RELATED: Court docs describe video showing man walking away before deadly squeegee encounter
In their report, investigators wrote that Reynolds was actually walking away from the group, when they began to follow and surround him.
Reynolds reportedly tried fending them off by swinging a bat, but was hit in the head with a rock causing him to become disoriented.
That's when police say one person in the group shot Reynolds multiple times. He died shortly after at Shock Trauma.
The gunman was then seen on camera running away, while changing his shirt.
Detectives located multiple witnesses who helped identify the alleged shooter, who turned out to be just 14-years-old at the time of the murder.
RELATED: 15-year-old charged in murder of man who confronted squeegee workers
He was arrested and charged as an adult on July 14, one week after the incident.
"Someone wielding a bat, we would believe is definitely deadly force and the law allows deadly force to be met with deadly force," said attorney J. Wyndal Gordon, one day after his client was arrested. "We understand the duty to retreat, but there's no duty when it's unsafe or the avenue of escape is unknown."
Former prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah, who is advocating for the Reynolds family, rejected the argument of self defense and called the proposed plea deal "laughable."
"This was not a case of self defense. This was not a case of an accident. This was not a case of the gun going off. This was not a case of a child being frightened," said Vignarajah. "You can't claim self defense when you go get the gun, put a mask on, point the gun and fire into the back of a helpless individual."
Vignarajah also criticized Mosby for not giving the family any prior notice of an agreement with the defendant.
"Let it be very clear the victims vehemently object to this proposed approach," added Vignarajah. "Nine months in juvenile custody is a joke. That's not time for rehabilitation. That's not time for him to learn a lesson. That is a signal to every person in this city that crimes, even murders have no consequences in this city."
The video footage in question has not been publicly released or independently reviewed by WMAR.
"We're calling the state's attorney to release the video," said Vignarajah. "The defense has seen it. The grand jury seen it. The detectives have seen it. The prosecutors have seen it. And now we've seen it too, the public deserves to."
In a statement Mosby defended her recommendation to have the case remanded to juvenile court, but refused to say what factors played into the decision.
"While the actions of this juvenile are wholly unacceptable and inexcusable, we stand firm in our ultimate recommendation to the judge that this case be held in the juvenile court system," said Mosby. "Much of the factors that we considered in arriving at our recommendation cannot be discussed publicly due to the fact that the case is open and the defendant is a juvenile."
Back in August, the Reynolds family said they intended to sue the City, State's Attorney's Office, and Police department over the shooting.
MORE: Family of man killed during encounter with squeegee group plans to sue City
Since then, the long lasting issues of squeegeeing in the City has returned to the forefront of debate.
There have been reports of several assaults involving squeegee groups reported even after Reynolds' death.
City leaders last week unveiled a plan that could pay some teens to not squeegee if they agree to take part in education and training programs that are being made available to them.
