The 29-year-old Jacksonville father charged with murdering his 4-year-old daughter and critically wounding his 2-year-old daughter and their mother told detectives afterward that he was “blacked-out” drunk and doesn’t remember what he did.
This is after Ring doorbell video footage shows the children coming out of their home and hugging him as he arrives to pick them up. When they go back inside and the mother comes out, a short time later the video shows him pulling out a gun and shooting at her multiple times toward the front of the home, according to the newly released 20-page arrest report in court records. His mother also was a witness.
“One gun, one clip, 15 bullets, every single one of ‘em, I’m drunk, I f—– up,” he said while being taken into custody after he fled in his mother’s car and led officers on a brief chase in which he broke an arm, the report states.
Trudale Reed Jr., 29, remains jailed without bail on charges of second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, auto theft, aggravated fleeing and deluding and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Brianna Martice Johnson and toddler daughter Rhythm Reed survived and are facing a long recovery, but 4-year-old Harmoni Reed died at the scene from gunshots to the head and body.
It happened at about 5 p.m. at their home on Traci Lynn Drive near Dunn Avenue on June 30. Two other family members of Johnson also were home at the time, although the initial briefing referenced just one. Following is a summary and excerpts from the arrest report.
Harmoni was found in the front yard after being moved there, Rhythm on the floor inside the front door and Johnson on the front porch. On scene, a gun magazine and multiple shell casings were located in the front yard. Reed was witnessed fleeing the scene and soon located in a Volkswagen but wouldn’t stop for police, so officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop taking him into custody. He made several spontaneous statements that were captured on body-worn camera.
During a search of the scene, a Ring doorbell camera was located on the front porch. The footage captured Reed arriving at around 4:35 p.m. Johnson opens the door and the two children run out to hug their father. The children interact with him on the front porch area and then go back inside. Johnson walks outside and starts a conversation with Reed. At about 4:55 p.m., he is observed reaching into his pants, retrieving a black pistol, pointing it at Johnson and firing 15 rounds at her and towards the front door of the house.
“At and before the shooting, there was nothing in Brianna Johnson’s hands,” the report states. “The Ring video shows Brianna Johnson turning her body away from Trudale and then falling to the ground as Trudale continues to fire bullets at her and towards the front door of the residence, striking the screen door. The front door is open. No return shots were fired. The shots Trudale fired through the screen door entered the home and struck victims H.R, and R.R.”
Johnson’s brother said he was working at his desk on the first floor and heard her tell the kids their father was picking them up. He said he didn’t see Reed arrive but heard the gunshots. He saw Rhythm lying on the floor inside the front door bleeding from her stomach. She was awake and moaning. A neighbor came and assisted with caring for her until rescue arrived. He then saw Johnson shot on the front porch and Harmoni dead in the yard. He did not see Reed but identified him from the video.
Johnson’s cousin advised he was upstairs in his room when he heard a lot of gunshots. He looked outside his window and observed Reed walking toward a blue SUV parked in front. He saw Harmoni on the floor inside the front door bleeding from the head. He also saw an unknown woman wearing a black- and white-striped dress tending to her. He started looking for Rhythm and saw her on the floor towards the living room next to the couch. She was bleeding from her stomach. He also identified Reed in the video.
The woman in the black-and-white dress was Reed’s mother. She told detectives she was to meet him at Johnson’s house to pick up him, her and the kids to take them over to her house where Reed lives. When she drove up, she saw Johnson standing on the porch near the door and Reed standing in front of her on the walkway. She advised she drove past the house down to the cul-de-sac, turned around and stopped in front of the house. When she stopped in front of the house, she saw him pull a gun from his pants and shoot Johnson multiple times.
She watched Johnson fall to the ground and got out of her vehicle and started walking towards the front of the house. At that time, Reed started walking towards her with the gun in his hand. As he passed her he stated, “Sorry,” then got into her vehicle and sped away. She was yelling, “You’re going to steal my car!?”
While she was also tending to Johnson, she looked inside the house and saw Harmoni, picked her up and took her outside for help. She held pressure onto her head until rescue arrived and told her she was deceased.
In Reed’s interview he said he and Johnson have been dating for seven years and their relationship has been turbulent. They often argue and as time went on the arguments became worse and have sometimes turned into physical altercations.
On the day of the shooting, he stated his father drove him to a liquor store on Dunn Avenue on his way to work at a barbershop around 12:30 pm. He bought a pint of vodka and a Red Bull and drank them while he was working. He said the plan after work was for him to go to Johnson’s house and to have his mother meet them there around 5 p.m. so they can pick up her and the kids to take them back to his house.
He said he got off work around 3:30 p.m. and stopped by a liquor store and bought two more pints of vodka. He said Johnson works at home and does not get off until 4:30 p.m., so he stopped at a nearby library and drank both bottles of vodkа.
He said at that point he blacked out and does not remember anything until he woke up in the hospital around 8 a.m. He does not know how he sustained his injuries and does not remember making it to Johnson’s house. During the interview a detective showed Reed a still image from the Ring camera to which he identified himself but still insisted he doesn’t remember anything from about 4:30 p.m. on June 30 to 8 the next morning.
Reed did advise the pistol used in this shooting was his Glock Model 22.40 caliber pistol. He always carries it with him, and he admitted to having the pistol on him at work and when he started walking towards Johnson’s house. During the traffic stop where he was detained, the weapon was recovered from the vehicle and the shell casings matched the scene.
He is next scheduled for a court hearing on July 23 and is being represented by the Public Defender’s Office, which has previously said it does not comment on active cases.
Johnson’s mother and sister have set up a GoFundMe to help the family.
Victims of domestic violence are encouraged to seek help from the Hubbard House shelter by calling its free, confidential 24/7 Hotline at (904) 354-3114. More information is available at hubbardhouse.org.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Video shows what happened when 4- and 2-year-olds and mom shot by dad
Reporting by Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
