Samaritan Cleared Of Charges After Fatally Shooting Assailant Of Young Boy Scout
TORRANCE (CBSLA.com) — Prosecutors are not pursuing a gunman, who shot and killed a man who was attacking a young boyscout.
Carmen Reyes Jr., 58, was initially booked for murder after shooting and killing Sergio Wilms, who allegedly attacked the young boy and his mother as they were packing their family's van for a camping trip around 5 a.m. on Saturday, according to police.
Reyes, who lives with the family and is the caretaker of the boy's father, reportedly ran outside after hearing the boy scream, at which point a violent altercation ensued.
"I ran to the window and I saw an individual popping off two more rounds," neighbor and witness Steven Martin said.
The District Attorney's office has since decided to drop charges against Reyes, and are suggesting he acted out of self-defense.
"All the evidence we have seen so far on our side of it was favorable to Carmen Reyes," Reyes' attorney said. "And apparently, the D-A saw it the same way, so they rejected it."
While the DA's office is not pursuing prosecution against Reyes, police are saying that the case is not closed, and they will continue to investigate the circumstances of the shooting.
"We're looking for disinterested parties; people that maybe saw the incident, or maybe saw Mr. Wilms prior to," Torrance Police Sgt. Robert Watt said.
