Baltimore official sent unauthorized letter for man now accused of murder

BALTIMORE — Questions regarding a city leader’s involvement in advocating for the now-accused shooter of a 12-year-old girl have swirled since police arrested Tyree Reynolds on Tuesday.

Reynolds had been released from prison eight days before the shooting at Leon Day Park on Saturday, October 3, that injured four and killed 12-year-old Khloe Ishway.

The 23-year-old is facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder, assault and firearms offenses.

Documents provided by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office show Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement's chief of victim services, Mark Mason, advocated for Reynolds’ sentence to be reduced in August 2025.

The judge granted it following a hearing, greenlit by the SAO, honoring a prior commitment under the former administration.

Reynolds’ sentence was reduced by two years.

“To me, the question I have is: Why was MONSE weighing in on this?” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said during a press conference Thursday. “Without a doubt… the letter from the head of victim services on MONSE letterhead is what, to me, would have tilted the scales in his favor.”

Mason described Reynolds as “one of the nicest, most respectful young men I have ever met” when explaining his longstanding mentorship of him and that he felt “he let him down.”

He explained to the judge how Reynolds had been robbed and experienced a difficult childhood. Despite being focused on going pro in football, Mason wrote that these experiences “led him to being drawn into a group where he felt would protect him.”

RELATED: 'Justice for Khloe': Community honors 12-year-old killed near West Baltimore youth football game

“This is all contingent on Tyree and his ability to choose to do right upon his return,” Mason wrote. “[H]owever, I would not be going out on a limb writing this letter on his behalf if I felt that he is a violent offender and his plan is to come back into society to engage in more violence.”

Reynolds himself wrote: “I regret the decisions that led me here, and I’ve made a promise to myself: to grow, to change, and to never go back to that life.”

In a statement, MONSE clarified the letter was a “character statement” done without permission from its director and that the organization has no “direct decision-making authority in determining detention release or sentence modification.”

In another statement, Mayor Scott claimed that “no member of staff will ever be writing one again.

Both have pointed out that the sole responsibility for the “heinous” crime lies with Reynolds himself.

Marks also promised that once Reynolds was released, he’d be “immediately” enrolled in MONSE’s re-entry program. According to court records, that doesn’t appear to have been the case. An appointment with the gun offender registry wasn’t scheduled until October 14.

WMAR-2 News asked if Mason is facing any consequences due to the letter, but we’ve not heard back.