On a summer evening in Reading, Pennsylvania, the life of 14-year-old Bruce D. "Fatboy" Criddell Jr. was tragically cut short. The young Black / African American male was fatally shot on July 18, 2017, in an alley in what should have been a simple transaction but instead ended in violence. Bruce, who resided in York with his mother, had traveled to Reading with another individual for what he believed was a prearranged deal to purchase a 9 mm pistol.
The arrangement had been made over a
social media platform with a man named Reynold Henry. The parties met at a fast-food restaurant in Reading before proceeding to a nearby alley to complete the sale. However, the exchange never happened. Almost immediately after entering the alley, Henry opened fire, shooting and killing the teenager. The supposed gun deal was a fatal setup, luring the unsuspecting 14-year-old to his death.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to Reynold Henry. In the fall of 2020, a Berks County jury convicted the 26-year-old of second-degree murder and firearm offenses in connection with Bruce Criddell Jr.'s death. Subsequently, in January 2021, a judge sentenced Henry to a mandatory life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would be held accountable for the senseless killing of the young teen.
