On a tragic afternoon in Portsmouth, Virginia, the life of 24-year-old Nathaniel Braxton Byrd was cut short on September 5, 2018. Known affectionately as Nate, he was a man remembered for his vibrant personality, adventurous spirit, and culinary creativity. Having grown up in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, he was a graduate of Western Branch High School and had attended Tidewater Community College and Longwood University.
His passion for cooking led him to work in several local restaurants, where he was known for his innovative dishes.
The events that led to Byrd's untimely death unfolded at an apartment on Dunedin Road where he was with a friend, Austin Wade Reynolds. Around 4:15 p.m., emergency services received a call and upon arrival, discovered Byrd with a gunshot wound to his upper body and Reynolds with a gunshot wound to his hand. Tragically, Nathaniel Byrd succumbed to his injuries. The initial investigation was shrouded in some confusion, with detectives not immediately identifying a suspect or a motive.
As the investigation progressed, a clearer picture of the tragic incident emerged. It was determined that Reynolds had been handling a revolver when it accidentally discharged. The bullet passed through Reynolds' own hand before striking Byrd in the chest, inflicting the fatal wound. In a misguided attempt to conceal the true nature of the event, Reynolds initially altered the crime scene and falsely claimed that Byrd had shot himself.
Following the investigation, Austin Wade Reynolds was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. However, the charges were later amended. In February 2022, Reynolds was convicted of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. He received a sentence of five years in prison, with the entirety of the sentence suspended. Instead of incarceration, he was placed on three years of supervised probation. The charge related to the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony was ultimately dropped.
