As the suspect sits in jail, new details are emerging about the hours before the shooting -- and they're raising questions about whether police could have prevented the death of 14-year-old Trevor Reynolds
KSPR obtained court documents about a disturbance call at the Reynolds' residence on July 4th.
Reynolds' mother, Falecha Jones, called 9-1-1. She said her husband and her son were in a heated argument, and she was worried it could turn violent.
According to the document, William Richard Jones twice said he was going to kill his stepson. A police officer says he asked Jones straight up if he would do after police left. Jones said "Yes."
Police took two guns from the house -- and left without arresting Jones.
"You just can't take those words as an arrest-able offense," Cpl. Matt Brown with the Springfield Police Department tells KSPR News. "It is possible to do that, but you have to look at the totality of the circumstances and the words spoken. The officers considered what was going on, took the threat seriously, removed weapons, and then found a location for the child to go to."
Brown says Falecha Jones assured officers she would take her son to a hotel for the night, to keep him and Jones apart.
Trevor Reynolds returned home Thursday morning, and was shot dead while he took a nap.
The court documents we obtained reveal another twist to the story -- William Richard Jones went to the hospital hours before the shooting because he said he felt depressed.
We asked a police spokesman for the chance to talk with Police Chief Paul Williams, so he could answer our questions about why officers ignored Jones' threats.
The spokesmen told us the chief would not be available for comment.
