Andres Reyes was 15 and from Los Angeles when he died on October 22, 2000, in a violent incident tied to gang activity. Court records say Reyes was present during an altercation that escalated into a fatal shooting: an older gang member shot a driver in the back of the head as the driver tried to flee an assault. Reyes was not the shooter, but he was later charged under the natural and probable consequences doctrine, which holds presence and foreseeable outcomes as grounds for liability for associates’ crimes.

Reyes was initially convicted of second-degree murder and street terrorism, with enhancements for committing the murder for the benefit of a gang and for vicariously discharging a firearm resulting in death. The California Supreme Court reversed his conviction, finding error in the trial court’s application of the doctrine and insufficient consideration of Reyes’s age and role.

How did the dynamics between younger and older gang members shape what happened that day, and can anyone who knew Reyes or witnessed the incident add details?