Baltimore squeegee worker on trial for murder acted in self-defense in motorist’s death, lawyer says
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore teenager acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a baseball bat-wielding driver who approached youths washing windshields at a busy downtown intersection last summer, attorneys for the teen argued as his murder trial got underway Tuesday.
The high-profile tragedy reignited longstanding debate about Baltimore’s squeegee workers, mostly Black youths from disadvantaged backgrounds looking to make fast cash. City leaders have since banned the practice at certain high-traffic intersections and stepped up efforts to connect squeegee workers with above board job opportunities.
“The state would have you believe this case is about squeegee boys,” defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon told jurors in his opening statement. “This case is about road rage.”
Timothy Reynolds, 48, died from gunshot wounds after the July 2022 confrontation in evening rush hour near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. An engineer and father of three, he grew up in the Baltimore area and was an avid fan of the city’s major league sports teams.