'It's a sad ending to a great life'
Published Wednesday November 25th, 2009
Andrew Reid was dreaming of returning to New Brunswick next year and building a home in Jemseg.
But that dream was cut short Friday when Reid, 37, who was confined to a wheelchair, was shot and killed by a deputy sheriff in west Texas.
"Last time I talked to him, he was going to come back here in June, or May, when the cold weather was gone," his sister, Heather Reid, said Tuesday.
"He was going to build a house down in Jemseg; he has a piece of property down there."
The Fredericton High School graduate was arrested Thursday following a high-speed chase outside Fort Stockton, Texas.
Police believe he became upset over traffic delays caused by a highway accident.
He was later released and taken to a nearby hotel until a family member could pick him up.
Deputies were called the next day when it was reported that Reid was causing a disturbance.
A scuffle occurred and Reid gained possession of one of the deputy's guns.
Reid was shot dead after firing a round and allegedly pointing the gun at a deputy.
The incident is being investigated by the Texas Rangers.
Pecos County Sheriff Cliff Harris said the two officers involved have been placed on paid leave until the investigation is concluded.
While Harris said he was concerned one of his deputies would lose a gun in such a manner, he would leave the investigation to the Rangers.
Heather Reid said her brother's reported behaviour was out of character and she has no theories as to what might have sparked the tragic events.
She said she wants to know how her brother was able to take possession of a deputy's gun.
"Right now, we are just trying to get through this week and deal with what happened, it was a shock ... We're trying not to be angry; we really are, but it's hard not to be."
Heather Reid said her brother, paralyzed from the waist down in a 1999 surfing accident in San Diego, wasn't suffering from any drug issues.
Andrew Reid, an addictions counsellor, wasn't working at the time of the incident.
While he had called Texas home, he was living in San Clemente, Calif., and not in the longhorn state, as was previously reported in the media.
He was on his way to Austin, Texas, to visit friends.
Heather Reid said her brother was in California trying to rehabilitate his legs.
"He had taken some time to go out to the warm weather and the beach because he had thought swimming built the muscles in his legs. He had a special surfboard for wheelchair surfers."
Her brother was making progress and could stand.
She said her family loved him very much.
"He was the most courageous person - determined, driven (and) headstrong. He was a free spirit."
She said she hopes her brother's body will be back in Canada by the end of the week.
Doug Duncan of Ottawa knew Reid before he was confined to a wheelchair.
"He liked a good party," Duncan said. "He was the kind of guy you liked to have at the party - always happy, always telling a joke, always telling a story.
"Later, when he was in his wheelchair, he would break out his guitar. He didn't have a real singer's voice; he had a character's voice."
Duncan said he doesn't understand how things worked out the way they did.
"I cannot fathom it. Andrew did not have a temper. I just can't see this happening; it doesn't make sense."
Jake Guay, who has known Reid for the last 17 years, is also searching for answers.
"There must be something else related there," he said. "He had just come back from taking a home builder's course and was looking forward to building a home out in Fredericton.
"He just had so many things looking up. He was going to get use of his legs back ... none of it makes sense."
Reid was someone who embraced life to the fullest, said the Ottawa resident.
"It's just a sad ending to a great life."
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Thoughts and Prayers for the family
I would think that if he was creating a disturbance then someone must have called the police. When someone is being confronted by the police, there is always someone watching and I am sure there were witnesses in this case. I would hope that police officers have more to do with their time than seek out vulnerable people to pick on and kill. On that fateful day and even the day before, he may not have been acting like the Andrew you and his sister remember for reasons only known to him. We all have our bad times and bad days where we act different than we would normally. We call that out of character,it happens to everyone, and when it does happen people are taken aback. I suspect that Andrew was having a couple of bad days.