More than three years after Charles Joseph “Joe” Reynolds was shot and killed on the third floor of the Wayne Avenue public parking garage in downtown Silver Spring, Montgomery County police are asking the public for help in identifying possible witnesses to the Dec. 21, 2022, homicide. So far, the case remains unsolved.
In a Tuesday afternoon news release, county police asked for help to identify and locate two unknown men whom detectives believe may be able to help their ongoing investigation.
The release contained three images of the men, one of whom sat in a wheelchair while the other man pushed him, according to the photos. Police did not provide details about when or where the photos were taken or why the men are considered possible witnesses.
The first man was described as a Black male, approximately 50 to 70 years old with gray facial hair. The man was wearing a multi-colored hat, a hooded sweatshirt, a dark-colored jacket, dark pants and black-and-red sneakers. He was pushing the wheelchair of the second potential witness who was described by police as a Black male approximately 50 to 70 years old with an amputated leg. The second man was wearing a dark-colored jacket over a white plaid shirt, jeans and one black shoe.
Reynolds, 62, of Silver Spring, was celebrating the birthday of his wife’s niece in downtown Silver Spring the night he was fatally shot. After eating dinner with his family, Reynolds left to drop off leftovers in his car in the Wayne Avenue parking garage. He planned to meet his family for ice cream at a nearby Ben & Jerry’s.
According to police, Reynolds was discovered suffering from a gunshot wound and “lots of blood loss” in the second-floor stairwell of the garage. There was no clear motive for the attack.
Six months after Reynold’s death, police had no suspects and his wife, Karis Hastings, and his family continued to search for answers.
At a May 2023 police press conference Hastings said she had found Reynolds in the stairwell and immediately called 911.
“In a six-minute timeframe, we went from celebrating and being together […] to then just the unimaginable,” Hastings said during the press conference. “Instead of getting ready for Christmas, we were talking to the police and calling funeral homes.”
Reynolds was remembered as a loving father, husband and neighbor. Hastings said he was willing to do anything for anyone, loved working with computer technology and spent hours helping at their church, in the neighborhood and with local nonprofits whenever he saw a need.
“His death is a loss not just for my family, but for the larger community,” she said.
At the time of the press conference, police asked for the public’s help in finding a possible suspect.
Former county police Chief Marcus Jones said during the press conference that the department was “at our wit’s end.” He noted that nothing of significance was found missing from the victim and police had no leads concerning a motive for the shooting. Jones said oftentimes police are at least able to identify a witness who saw someone fleeing the scene or can describe a vehicle of interest, but that “in this case, we have none of that.”
County police are asking anyone with information about the potential witnesses to call the department’s Major Crimes – Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit at 240-773-5070 or to contact the Crimes Solvers of Montgomery County at 1-866-411-8477.
According to Tuesday’s release, a reward of up to $10,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect.
Former Bethesda Today reporter Em Espey contributed to this report.