Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced Thursday, Oct. 29, that two men have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in separate cases: Tyree Reynolds in the Oct. 3 shooting at Leon Day Park that killed 12-year-old Khloe Ishway, and Montray McCray in the Sept. 29 attack that killed 76-year-old Claudia Bismark in Fells Point. Bates said his office will seek life without the possibility of parole in both cases if the men are convicted.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Bates reminded the public that people charged by indictment are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty at trial. The details below are allegations from prosecutors, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office news release and the news conference.
The Leon Day Park Case
Reynolds is indicted on 29 counts, including first-degree murder in Khloe’s death and the non-fatal shootings of four other people. The shooting happened at about 6:18 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Leon Day Park during Charm City Buccaneers Youth Football League homecoming games. The counts also include attempted murder, assault, and firearm and magazine charges.
Bates said prosecutors allege Reynolds knew the first person he fired at from an earlier altercation. He said a person with a valid handgun carry permit returned fire. Bates said the projectile recovered from Khloe was a .22-caliber class round, so prosecutors conclude she was not struck by the other person’s 9mm gun.
The Fells Point Case
McCray is indicted in two cases. The first charges first-degree murder and robbery in the Sept. 29 attack on Claudia Bismark and her husband on a sidewalk in Fells Point. Bismark died of her injuries. The second charges robbery and second-degree assault in a Sept. 26 incident outside a restaurant in the 600 block of East Pratt Street, in which prosecutors allege McCray took $80.
What Officials Said
Bates said that if prosecutors prove first-degree murder, his office will not negotiate. “We will give life,” he said.
Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Colonel John Herzog joined Bates at the news conference. Scott said the city will hold people accountable for violent crime. “We will find you,” he said. Scott said he agreed with the State’s Attorney that anyone who commits this kind of violence should spend the rest of their life in prison.
What Happens Next
The announcement did not give court dates. Assistant State’s Attorneys Amy Brown and Manaia Jespersen will prosecute the cases, according to the news release. Prosecutors say they will seek life without the possibility of parole in both cases if the men are convicted.
