Trenton standoff suspect, a wanted sex offender, surrenders
TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- A wanted sex offender who held police at bay for 35 hours finally surrendered peacefully on Thursday evening in Trenton, New Jersey.
The suspect, 35-year-old Tyleeb Reese, called police around 4:40 p.m. to say he was ready to surrender. He came out of his apartment building with his hands up a short time later.
Reese exited slowly from his home with his hands above his head.
"He was taken into custody without incident," said Lawrence Peele of the New Jersey State Police. "There were no injuries to the suspect or law enforcement."
Everyone was relieved it ended peacefully, including the family of Robert Powell, Jr., who lost his life during the standoff.
Police say Powell was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This all began around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of Centre Street.
Authorities say Reese, a convicted sex offender, opened fire on authorities when they tried to serve a warrant at his home.
Three Mercer County officers were injured in the gunfire.
Powell, 56, an innocent bystander, was killed as bullets rained down on the street.
Reese then barricaded himself inside the home.
Hours and hours of negotiations and tactical actions by police followed.
Teams spent much of Wednesday night into Thursday firing tear gas into Reese's home to force him out.
They pleaded with him through a bullhorn to surrender, and used a special police vehicle to remove cars parked near his home.
Reese finally surrendered Thursday afternoon.
For Powell's family, there were mixed emotions. Accepting his untimely death has been hard to bear.
Ravel Stokes, a cousin, said, "We're very happy it's over, because it's a lot on our family."
"He was a good guy. He was a family man," said Powell's cousin Darren Stokes. "And it's really sad that this was the way he had to go out. He had a great outlook on life, and he loved family, and he was a community man."
As evacuated residents return to normal, Powell's family must also acclimate to their new normal - a life without him.
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