Will Reynolds

William Reynolds was an African American railroad worker. He had no prior conviction before he shot nine members of a police posse, seven of them fatally, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, United States on April 6, 1902, before being shot dead himself.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Will Reynolds attack at the time was the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in American history^[8] until the Winfield massacre a year later.^[9]

Police arrived at Reynolds' home in Tuscumbia's black neighborhood to arrest him on a charge of obtaining property under false pretenses. According to the Richmond Planet, Reynolds opened fire immediately on the sheriff and deputy who came to the door, killing both. He barricaded himself in the house and a posse was assembled. In the ensuing gun battle, Reynolds killed five more white men, totaling seven.^[10] After four hours, the posse set fire to the house in which he was barricaded and, in attempting to escape, Reynolds was shot to death. The posse threw Reynolds remains in the fire.^[11] A total of three houses were burned down.^[10]

With the sheriff and five deputies of the Colbert County Sheriff's Department among those killed, this was the deadliest incident in Alabama law enforcement history.^[12]

Racial tensions were high after the incident and, the following day in nearby Florence, Alabama, a prominent white butcher was arrested for killing and butchering a black patron who praised Reynolds.^[10][11]The Will Reynolds shooting remained Alabama’s deadliest mass shooting until it was surpassed by the Geneva County shootings, which had three more fatalities.^[13] It was later paralleled by the 2020 Morgan County Shooting. ^[14]

Victims

• Sheriff Charles Gassaway, 33
• Deputy William Gassaway, brother of Charles Gassaway
• Deputy Jesse Davis
• Deputy James Payne
• Deputy Pat A. Prout
• Deputy Bob Wallace
• Hugh Jones

Those wounded were: James Finney and Bob Patterson.^[15]

See also

• List of rampage killers in the United States
• List of shootings in Alabama

References

1. ^ Desperado kills three, The New York Times (April 7, 1902)
2. ^ Three died from wounds, The New York Times (April 8, 1902)
3. ^ Three of the Wounded Dead, The Hartford Courant (April 8, 1902)
4. ^ Negro slays white men, The Racine Journal (April 8, 1902)
5. ^ Death of late sheriff's wife spurs memory tragedy that rocked south, TimesDaily (July 23, 1958)
6. ^ 'Colbert's worst tragedy' occurred 70 years ago, TimesDaily (June 24, 1971)
7. ^ A job well-done, TimesDaily (May 17, 1996)
8. ^ Weinman, Sarah (2016-03-25). "How A Forgotten 1903 Killing Spree Became America’s First Modern Mass Shooting". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
9. ^ Johnk, Zach (2017-10-11). "Mass Killings of Long Ago: 3 Early Eruptions of ‘Suppressed Rage’". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
10. ^ "Attack on William Reynolds by Tuscumbia sheriff burns two houses". Richmond Planet. 12 April 1902. p. 1. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
11. ^ "Desperado Kills Five". The Montgomery Advertiser. 8 April 1902. p. 1. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
12. ^ Deadliest Days in Law Enforcement History, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
13. ^ "Remembering the deadliest mass shooting in Alabama history". WDHN. March 10, 2023.
14. ^ Roop, Lee (June 22, 2020). "Two arrested for murders of 7 people in Morgan County". AL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
15. ^ Five dead and two dying, The Indianapolis Journal (April 8, 1902)