Utica Police renewing interest in murder case of Reginald Davis

It’s been 13 years since Utica resident Reginald Davis was killed in a shooting on Watson Place. And both the Utica Police Department and his family haven’t given up the search for justice.

On May 16, 2011, Lt. Michael Curley says a call came in around 11 p.m. for a shooting on Watson Place, near Genesee Street.

Davis was found with a gunshot wound to the head but was still alive. He was rushed to the hospital and was in critical condition before passing to his injuries the next day.

What’s known

While conducting a canvas of the area where the shooting took place, Curley says they found a male individual hiding under a car “...without shoes, without socks, and covered in some sort of material.”

The male in question was detained and questioned.

During the daylight hours the next day, the Utica Police Department found a handgun buried in the mud. DNA testing on the gun handle then confirmed it belonged to the individual, who was identified as Andre Jackson, a Utica resident.

However, Curley says the gun in question was a .22 caliber revolver.

“It was determined the casings on the scene were from a semi-automatic handgun, not a revolver,” Curley said. “They weren’t the same caliber, either.”

The investigation then shifted and began to focus on Jackson.

What’s not known

“Part of the investigation was to determine what, if any, was Jackson’s role in the homicide and, secondly, who fired the handgun,” Curley said. “To date, those questions haven’t been answered.”

At Jackson’s trial for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, Jackson offered no clear explanation for why he was under the car — other than perhaps he had been hit in the head or high from smoking marijuana — as well as no direct answer for why his footwear was found underneath another nearby vehicle.

Eight rounds had been fired from the gun, and a single live round remained in its chamber.

Curley said there were at least two handguns that were involved in the incident, and with the amount of people on the scene, there were witnesses.

“We know there are witnesses, but they haven’t told us the truth and haven’t cooperated with the investigation,” Curley said. “And it’s been difficult to get their cooperation. But we’re hoping that with renewed interest from the Utica Police Department and the family, people will be pushed to do the right thing and come forward to give justice to Davis’s family.”

The family

For every cold case, there is a family waiting for answers and the chance for justice to be served.

Wilhelmina Davis, Reginald’s mother, said her son was well-loved in the community and had made a bigger impact than she ever knew.

“I’m not going to say my son was a saint, but he was our angel,” she said. “He was good at putting other people’s cares before his. And he believed in helping the elderly.”

Vanetta Jackson, Reginald’s aunt, explained how Reginald would go out into the local community and help those in need and never really told anyone what he was doing.

“I remember being in a store, and I mentioned my sister was getting things organized for his funeral,” Wilhelmina said. “This elderly woman came up to me and asked if I was Reginald Davis’s mother. She told me how, in the winter, Reginald would come and shove her walkways and driveway. And in the summer, he’d keep the grass trimmed.”

Even more so, Davis said a man came to her former home in Utica, presented her with two picnic tables, and told her his story of how he met Reginald.

“He had throat cancer and lived just up the street,” Wilhelmina said. “I don’t know how Reginald met him, but he’d bring him soup and food to eat, encouraging him to because he had lost his appetite.”

Reginald would make sure he was fed and pray with him. And with Reginald’s passing, he made the two picnic tables for the family.

“There’s just so much he would do that I didn’t know,” Wilhelmina said. “And that’s because he didn’t tell us. I guess he just thought it was something he was supposed to do.”

Vanetta and Wilhelmina, while hopeful that they’ll hear something soon, expressed frustration with the lack of updates or headway made with the investigation.

And while understanding the work of the Utica Police Department, Wilhelmina said she’d appreciate a call, even if it was just to let them know the investigation was slowing down.

Vanetta, meanwhile, is in the process of organizing a cash reward for any information leading to an arrest. More information will be provided soon.

“We just want someone to come forward and tell us what happened,” Wilhelmina said.

“And we’re hoping we’ll finally be able to bring justice for Reginald,” Vanetta said.

Anyone with information can contact the Utica Police Department Major Crimes Unit at 315-223-3556 or submit a 100% anonymous tip online through Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers at www.mohawkvalleycrimestoppers.com, by calling 1-866-730-8477 (TIPS), or by using the P3 Tips mobile app.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica Police renewing interest in 2011 Reginald Davis murder case