ABOUT US
Wayne Reid graduated with an Accounting degree from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
Fresh out of college, his pursuit took him to New York City where Porter Novelli hired him as a Staff Accountant in 2000. He moved up the ranks to Accounts Payable Manager, Senior Accountant, and currently Assistant Controller.
While in college, his brother, killed by a police officer in 1998, resulted in a landmark trial in Connecticut. For five plus years, the trial played out in the public domain as his visibility continued to increase.
In 2013, Wayne connected with Judge Charles Gill who presided over his brother’s trial. He understood the emotional journey all experienced during that difficult period and Judge Gill had the legal insight from behind the bench. He and Judge Gill understood the story could have a meaningful impact in society to aid others who may experience similar journey through the justice system but most importantly, help to bridge the gap between law enforcement and communities. He believes everything happens for a reason…good or bad…and we must use our experiences to help others. As such, he embarked on a new journey to write a manuscript about his brother’s case.
Wayne published his first book, Death By Cop: A Call for Unity! with Judge Gill in January 2020. The dramatic story, picked up by Hollywood, is currently being develop into a feature film.
In 2016, he was keynote speaker at the Community Partners in Action annual meeting, a nonprofit organization that focuses on behavior change, advocating for people, and justice reform.
Since the book launched in 2020, Wayne has held discussions at a bookstore, workplace, church, and zoom.
In 2021, Wayne joined the Board of Trustees at the Northville Baptist Church.
Wayne comes from a diverse background that includes religion, sports, business, hard labor, and media. He conducted newspaper interviews, appeared as guest speaker on podcast with publisher, and on radio to share his story.
My name is Charles Gill. For thirty-five years, I was a Superior Court Judge in Connecticut. I come from a law enforcement family; fairness, objectivity, and justice for all has been my life standard.
In 1999, I volunteered to preside over a landmark case, the State of Connecticut versus Officer Scott Smith, who shot and killed Franklyn Reid in the forty-one seconds they knew each other. It was easily the most difficult trial of my career. On a daily basis, I had to look directly at the faces of the parents of Franklyn Reid and Scott Smith, for hours. There is no antidote or cure for the emotional pain I saw. Both families displayed civility, mutual respect, honor, and love. I believe those are the best American traits.
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I met Wayne Reid in 2013. We shared our feelings about the trial. Through our connection, we realized a positive message could rise from a tragic outcome. To this end, I co-authored Death by Cop: A Call for Unity! I hope our portrayal of this story will aid others with similar tragedies and hopefully prevent future reoccurrences of this type of violence.
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