RENSSELAER, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A tragedy hit close to home for many Rensselaer residents after 32-year-old Brent Reed was killed. His family and friends gathered to hold a vigil and honor his legacy. A Coeymans man was arrested in connection to the homicide.
“Brent was a legend at 32-years-old, he was a legend. Everyone knew him. It didn’t matter who you were, how old you were, or how young you were, they knew him,” said Lewis Oliver, the owner of Cugino’s Pizzeria.
Reed used to work there. Oliver said he has known Reed for 20 years. Reed played football with his son. They are all devastated by his loss.
“I have a 28 year-old and I couldn’t even imagine, could not imagine. So I hugged him a little bit tighter and my grandkids and I tell my wife I love her too cause you just don’t know,” said Oliver, who organized Monday night’s vigil.
“Brent was a good person. He would take his shirt off to give it to you. Everything was genuine. He loved everybody, everybody loved him. He was just a great kid, and the family is just phenomenal. They would do it for me, so I felt as though it’s something that should be done for him,” said Oliver.
The Rensselaer Police Department said they responded to a call for an altercation at 12:04 A.M. on Sunday morning. It happened on John Street between Second and Third Streets.
Upon arrival, first responders found Reed on the ground suffering from a stab wound to the chest. He was transported to Albany Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Detective Sergeant Michael Deso is supervising the investigation and said the suspect was found miles away.
“We were able to arrest Michael Bermudez-Gagnon of Coeymans. He was not on scene. He fled the scene prior to EMS and police arrival and he was located in the area of Wilton, New York,” said Deso, who added he was apprehended approximately eight hours after the incident.
Bermudez-Gagnon was charged with second degree murder, arraigned and remanded to the Rensselaer County Jail without bail. He’s expected back in court on Friday at 9:00 A.M.
The investigation is ongoing. Deso urges anyone with information to reach out to the Rensselaer Police Department’s Detective Division at 518-462-7451.
“Brent was a great kid, I knew him personally. He was, as his family described him, he was always the life of the party, always had a smile on his face. He was proud to be from Rensselaer. He was a good kid. It’s a shame this happened to him,” said Deso.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Reed’s family through this difficult time. If you’d like to show support to his family, you can follow this link.
“If I needed him on the spot, he’d be there,” said Oliver. “He’d help anybody, that’s what made him who he was.”
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