William Reynolds was an American

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

er who shot nine people, seven of them fatally, in

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. The city is part of The Shoals metropolitan area. Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller, who lived at Iv ...

, United States on April 6, 1902, before being shot dead himself. Police arrived at Reynolds' home in Tuscumbia's black neighborhood to arrest him on a charge of obtaining property under

false pretenses In criminal law, property is obtained by false pretenses when the acquisition results from the intentional misrepresentation of a past or existing fact. Elements The elements of false pretenses are: *a false representation *of a material p ...

. According to the ''

Richmond Planet ''Richmond Planet'' was an African-American newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. The paper was founded in 1882 gathering in an upper room of a building located near the corner of Third and Broad streets thirteen former slaves (James H. Hayes, James ...

'', Reynolds opened fire immediately on the sheriff and deputy who came to the door, killing both. He barricaded himself in the house and a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

was assembled. In the ensuing gun battle, Reynolds killed seven more white men. After four hours, the posse set fire to the house in which he was barricaded and, in attempting to escape, Reynolds was shot to death. A total of three houses were burned down. With the sheriff and five deputies of the

Colbert County Colbert County () is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the county's population was 57,227. The county seat is Tuscumbia. The largest city is Muscle Shoals. The county is named i ...

Sheriff's Department among those killed, this was the deadliest incident in Alabama law enforcement history. Racial tensions were high after the incident and, the following day in nearby

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

, a prominent white butcher was arrested for killing and butchering a black patron who praised Reynolds.

Victims

*Sheriff Charles Gassaway, *Deputy William Gassaway, brother of Charles Gassaway *Deputy Jesse Davis *Deputy James Payne *Deputy Pat A. Prout *Deputy Bob Wallace *Hugh Jones Those wounded were: James Finney and Bob Patterson.Five dead and two dying
''

The Indianapolis Journal The ''Indianapolis Journal'' was a newspaper published in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The paper published daily editions every evening except on Sundays, when it published a morning edition. The fir ...

'' (April 8, 1902)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Will 1860s births 1902 deaths 1902 in Alabama 1902 murders in the United States 20th-century American criminals African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States American mass murderers Deaths by firearm in Alabama Law enforcement in Alabama Mass shootings in the United States Murder in Alabama People from Tuscumbia, Alabama Place of birth missing

Victims

See also

References