Wali Bey Shot By NJ Police Had Extensive Arrest Record Including Murder Charge

NEWARK, New Jersey (THECOUNT) — Wali Bey, the 42-year-old Newark man fatally shot by police during a law-enforcement operation Monday afternoon, Jan. 19, 2026, was previously indicted in a 2003 murder case and has an extensive documented criminal history spanning more than two decades, according to court records and prior reporting.

State officials confirmed Friday that Wali Bey was the man killed during the encounter and that Officer Nashid Reynolds of the Newark Police Department discharged the fatal shot. The shooting occurred shortly after 1 p.m. near the intersection of Ross Street and Evergreen Avenue, an area known to local authorities for ongoing narcotics activity.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, uniformed and plainclothes officers were conducting surveillance as part of an active investigation when Officer Reynolds exited his vehicle and approached a group of civilians. Authorities say the officer later fired his weapon at a vehicle, striking two occupants. Bey, AKA “Grillz,” and another individual were transported to University Hospital, where Bey was pronounced dead at 1:51 p.m. The second individual was treated and released.

While the Attorney General’s Office has not released additional details about the moments immediately preceding the shooting, the incident has triggered the mandatory independent investigation required under New Jersey law whenever a death occurs during a police encounter.

Court records and prior reporting show Wali Bey was indicted in 2003 in connection with the fatal shooting of a Newark taxi driver, a case that drew significant attention at the time. Publicly available records do not clearly document the final disposition of those charges. The indictment nevertheless placed Bey on the radar of law enforcement early in his adult life and marked the beginning of a lengthy criminal history.

Bey again made headlines in 2012 when he was arrested alongside an off-duty Newark police officer during a traffic stop. According to contemporaneous reporting by NJ Advance Media, the officer was found in possession of illegal drugs, and Bey was identified as a passenger in the vehicle. That case raised serious concerns about criminal associations and resulted in internal scrutiny within the department.

More recent booking records from Essex County show Bey had been arrested multiple times in the years since, with charges ranging from drug-related offenses to other criminal violations. Those records indicate a continued pattern of interaction with the criminal justice system up to the time of his death.

Law-enforcement officials have emphasized that the Jan. 19 operation was not random and that officers were engaged in an undercover assignment targeting suspected illegal drug activity. In a statement released earlier this week, Officer Reynolds’ attorney, Patrick Toscano, said the shooting was both lawful and necessary.

“It should be known that the police action taken by my client was not only legally justified, but wholly warranted and necessary,” Toscano said. “Our client, along with other officers, was working an undercover assignment, witnessing several obvious and illegal drug transactions, and was easily identifiable as a law enforcement officer by virtue of his bulletproof vest that has Newark Police boldly printed on it, front and back.”

Community activists and Bey’s supporters have disputed that characterization, claiming eyewitnesses said Bey and another man were sitting inside a parked white van when two unmarked vehicles approached. According to those accounts, several men wearing plain clothes and face coverings exited the vehicles with guns drawn, prompting Bey to believe he was in danger and attempt to drive away.

A Newark Police Department policy prohibits officers from wearing face coverings while on duty, though officials have not confirmed whether that policy was violated in this incident. Authorities have also not publicly addressed claims that shots were fired through the windshield as the van began to move.

The shooting sparked protests in Newark, with approximately 80 demonstrators gathering outside Newark Police Headquarters Thursday night calling for Officer Reynolds to be terminated. Hundreds later attended Bey’s funeral services at Funeraria Las Americas, followed by burial at Rosemont Cemetery in Elizabeth.

Despite the public outcry, state officials have urged patience as the investigation proceeds. Under a 2019 statute, the Attorney General’s Office is required to conduct a full independent review of any fatal police encounter. Once completed, evidence will be presented to a grand jury, which will determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

Law-enforcement sources note that Bey’s documented criminal history, including a prior murder indictment and repeated arrests, is relevant context in assessing the risk officers may have perceived during the encounter. Officials have stressed that officers involved in undercover narcotics investigations routinely face unpredictable and dangerous situations that require split-second decision-making.

The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.

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