Reishee Wootsen was an 18-year-old Chester, Pennsylvania, resident who was killed by gunfire on July 30, 1993. Testimony at a later trial described the shooting as growing out of a street fight that did not appear to involve him; a newspaper account said he had been sitting on a car talking with girls when violence broke out nearby. Public memorial records list him as a victim of gun violence, and toxicology reportedly found no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Prosecutors said the incident followed an earlier clash between Bryan Freeman’s brother, Bobby Freeman, and Jermaine Tillman. Witnesses testified that after that altercation someone opened fire; Tillman admitted returning fire with a .32-caliber gun but testified he saw Bryan Freeman firing. Several witnesses, including inmates William Curry and Arthur Frisby, said they saw Bryan Freeman fire a large handgun described as either a .38 or .357 magnum. Bryan Freeman was acquitted of first-degree murder but convicted of third-degree murder in Wootsen’s death; sentencing was scheduled before Judge Charles C. Keeler.