Police say they are looking for any leads in a homicide that occurred Wednesday night in a parking garage in Downtown Silver Spring.
County Police Chief Marcus Jones identified the victim as 62-year-old Charles Joseph Reynolds, of Silver Spring, during a press conference Thursday.
Close to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) officers responded to the parking garage on Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street and found Reynolds in the second-floor stairwell with an apparent gunshot wound, per a release from MCPD. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reynolds was having dinner with his family at a nearby restaurant and decided he would take leftovers back to the car before the family would go to Ben & Jerry’s for ice cream, Jones said. He did not return. Several calls were made to the police to report finding him.
Police do not have any suspects at this time and do not know a motive. Reynolds’ personal property was all accounted and his car was still in the garage. So theft does not appear to be a motive.
“We have no leads at this particular time,” Jones said. “And we are asking for the public’s help who may have been in Downtown Silver Spring around this time last night, and who may have seen someone or other persons or something suspicious.”
“We don’t know what we have here,” he said. “We can only speculate, and I don’t want to speculate too far” because detectives are focused on getting the facts, he said.
Reynolds’ family is in “total shock,” Jones said. Investigators are working with local establishments to try to find any video footage that could help the investigation. There are no cameras in the garage stairwell.
3rd District Commander David McBain said that for the foreseeable future, police will step up their presence in Downtown Silver Spring. There will be a high police presence focused on the county parking garages, specifically foot patrols in those garages.
“These efforts will continue for the foreseeable future until we can get some answers to this horrific crime,” McBain said. “And we will continue to divert resources as needed for the remainder of the year and into 2023.”
County Executive Marc Elrich said the county will “do everything we can to increase security in Silver Spring.” He suggested cameras in garage entrances and stairwells.
Jones said the homicide is “quite troubling to us” when the police department has seen similar crimes dissipate in the area throughout 2022.
Police live-streamed the press conference here.
Chief Jones says police currently have no suspect(s) or leads related to the man killed in the Wayne Avenue parking garage yesterday. Investigators have been working with local establishments to try to find any video footage that could help. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/IZIIzgoebu
— Maryam Shahzad (@maryam_mcm) December 22, 2022
