As 2022 comes to a close, the Montgomery County Police Department is deploying officers to walk the beat in county-owned garages all over Silver Spring following a murder on Dec. 21 and an increase in crime.
Police say 62-year-old Charles Joe Reynolds was shot to death as he took leftovers to his car following a family dinner. Surveillance cameras cover parking areas in the Wayne Street garage, but not the stairwells, where the "bloody" killing occurred.
The day after the shooting, Montgomery County police said they had not established a motive nor any suspects. They had no updates to share Tuesday.
A small memorial with flowers and a candle remains on the second floor landing of the garage stairwell where Reynolds was killed.
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“It’s a little unnerving to walk down the stairs [past the memorial],” shopper Brandon Lewis said. “I have to keep my eyes open I guess.”
The Reynolds family declined to discuss the fatal shooting Tuesday.
Now, police have deployed officers to walk county-owned garages in the Silver Spring area.
“These efforts will continue for the foreseeable future until we get some answers to this horrific crime and will continue to divert resources as needed,” Cmdr. David McBain told reporters as he announced the deployment.
Officers could be seen on foot patrol in at least two garages Tuesday morning.
The move comes as Montgomery County Police Department data shows increasing crime this year. Crimes against people in Montgomery County (like assault, homicide, larceny and robbery) are up 5.7% in 2022 over a year ago, and up 46% since 2017.
Crimes against property (such as burglary, shoplifting and motor vehicle theft) are up 5.5% countywide in 2022, and up 35% since 2017.
The police effort is also coming at a time when garage crimes are on the upswing.
After a dramatic drop in 2021, crime in county-owned garages in Silver Spring is trending up. The vast majority of those are not violent crimes, but related to car break-ins.
