It was an average day in September 2020 when Lamonta “Tay Way” Butcher took a video of himself standing in front of his local Richmond, California liquor store. It was the middle of the day and there were plenty of people on the busy street, but minutes after sharing his video to Instagram, the 29-year-old was chased and gunned down. We previously reported on the vicious murder of rapper Tay Way, and yesterday (March 29), the East Bay Times stated that a suspect has been taken into custody.
According to the publication, 22-year-old Deante Reed has been arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Reed was also tacked with an attempted murder charge for a non-fatal shooting in the city just six days prior to Tay Way’s slaying that allegedly involved him firing off shots at a rival gang member. That alleged victim was reportedly struck twice. In the shooting that took the Tay Way’s life, two others were hurt but survived their injuries.
It’s also reported that prosecutors allege Tay Way’s murder involved the Manor Boyz gang, a group tied to the Richmond area. The District Attorney’s office believes that there were multiple people who took part in the murder. It’s unclear if prosecutors think Reed is the triggerman, but the charges seem to state that even if he wasn’t the person who fired the shots, he could be still be held accountable for the crime.
Reed is reportedly being held without bail and will return to court on April 6.