In the late morning of May 15, 2019, the life of 22-year-old William Reed Jr. of Richmond, Virginia, was tragically cut short. Emergency services responded to a call of a person shot in the 1100 block of Floral Avenue in South Richmond at approximately 11:21 a.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Reed lying in the street, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that the young man was the victim of a robbery and carjacking that escalated to deadly violence. A neighbor reported hearing at least two gunshots before alerting the authorities. The Richmond Police Department publicly identified William Reed Jr. as the victim the day after the incident.
Nearly three months after the fatal shooting, a significant development occurred in the case. On June 14, 2019, with the assistance of Chesterfield Police and the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, authorities identified 20-year-old Johnathan A. Rose of Chesterfield as a suspect. Rose turned himself in to the police and was subsequently arrested. He was charged with murder, robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and carjacking in connection with the death of William Reed Jr.