BALTIMORE — Charging documents reveal what led to last month's deadly encounter between a group of squeegee people and a motorist in downtown Baltimore.
Initial reports indicated that 48-year-old Timothy Reynolds was shot to death after first swinging a bat at a squeegee kid, following an altercation at Light and E. Conway Streets.
Police now say they have video evidence suggesting that may not be the case.
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. 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 15-years-old.
RELATED: 15-year-old charged in murder of man who confronted squeegee workers
The teen, whose name has not been released, was arrested and charged on July 14, one week after the incident.
His lawyers have claimed self defense, saying the teen was "5-foot-6 and frail," and forced to make a split-second decision.
"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."
The shooting sparked outrage and has brought the long lasting issue of squeegee people in the City, back into the forefront of debate.
The teen has been charged as an adult facing a first-degree murder charge. His other attorney, Warren Brown, spoke with WMAR after the indictment was announced.
“If they had dismissed the first-degree and left second-degree, manslaughter handgun, it will all be juvenile, so for a 14-year-old to be facing life in prison, which is what qualifies it as an adult crime at his age, it is a sad commentary not only on him and Mr. Reynolds but on society as a whole."
MORE: Baltimore City Council committee holds hearing on squeegee issues
Some leaders have differed on how to handle the situation.
Although Mayor Brandon Scott said Tuesday that "no one should carry an illegal gun," he has rejected the idea of clearing squeegee people from corners, saying it would unfairly target young black men.
"Do not let them dictate who you are," said Scott. "Don’t do what they want you to do. Don’t allow them to make you a clip on the news. Find another way of your life for you to live your life.”
Meanwhile Ivan Bates, the new Democratic nominee for Baltimore City State's Attorney, believes squeegee groups should not be on busy city streets because of the safety risks it presents.
Bates says he plans to issue citations to offenders, with the goal of opening a community court that would first offer options of diversion rather than immediate prosecution.
