COLUMBUS, Ohio — Megan Reed remembers almost everything about Oct. 12, 2022.
She remembers what she was doing, and the exact time. That's because that's the day when her life changed forever.
She described her 13-year-old son Sinzae Reed as someone who loved to laugh and always had a smile on his face. He had just started middle school. He loved playing football and wanted to get into boxing.
Sinzae's mother said the bright future he had was taken from him Oct. 12, when he was shot and killed.
Columbus police found him in his Wedgewood Apartment neighborhood. A day later, 36-year-old Krieg Butler was arrested and charged with his murder.
"He's still a baby whether he had teen behind his year or not, he's still a baby. And my baby had a lot of years left,” she said.
Fighting through tears, Megan said, “I see him laying on the ground...I see there's blood like...everywhere around him...I couldn't go to him...I couldn't hold him. I couldn't tell him that it was going to be OK.”
Court records from October show that Butler was charged with murder in municipal court.
Days later, the charges against Butler were dismissed and the prosecutors have not re-filed charges in the common pleas court.
According to the prosecutor on the case, the case is "still under review and pending further consideration.”
A statement from Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Gary Tyack said:
"The Municipal Court does not have jurisdiction to hear felony cases except for a limited period of time. It is standard practice for almost every felony case filed in Municipal Court to be dismissed. Not every case initiated in Municipal Court is presented to the Grand Jury. If the case is submitted to our office for review, we review the investigation to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed and whether it is appropriate to pursue the case. The only time limitation is the statute of limitations, which is several years. This particular case is still under review for possible presentation to the Grand Jury, and unfortunately, I cannot advise you when the case will be presented to the Grand Jury.”
As of now, it has not yet been presented.
Months later, community members and activists are raising concerns asking about the investigation.
“There's been a lot of babies that have been gunned down, shot down and nothing has happened...so I need it to happen with my son,” said Megan.
On Sunday, a community press conference is planned at 2 p.m. at Wedgewood Apartments.
The Columbus Division of Police released a statement Saturday which read:
"On October 12, 2022, the Columbus Division of Police responded to 832 Wedgewood Dr. on a shooting, where officers found 13 year old, Sin’Zae Reed suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid until Mr. Reed was transported to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Columbus Police Detectives interviewed numerous witnesses and filed murder charges on Krieg Butler on October 13th, 2022. Mr. Butler was ultimately arrested and slated in the Franklin County Jail.
During the Homicide review of the investigation, there was an allegation made by Mr. Butler that he acted in self-defense. The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, upon learning of this information, dismissed the charges against Mr. Butler pending the completion of the investigation. The Columbus Division of Police does not dismiss charges. We continue to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Reed’s death with the help of outside entities and are still awaiting key forensic and ballistic evidence.
Once the investigation is complete, we will submit the packet to the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, who will determine whether to present to the Grand Jury.
We are aware of the community’s concerns regarding the investigation and want to ensure the community that this investigation is far from over. The detectives assigned to the case are working diligently to present a complete and thorough investigation to the Franklin County Prosecutor. We ask for patience during this time. Once we are able to provide more information, we will. We have promised transparency and will continue to provide information when it can be released."
A GoFundMe has been created to help support the family.