Courts document shed light on Topeka Reser’s deadly shooting investigation
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Newly released court documents are providing new information about a shooting death at Reser’s Fine Foods, Topeka’s third homicide of 2024.
Eddie Holmes, 65 of Topeka, was arrested for the April killing of Reginald Privette, 39, of Topeka. Holmes is awaiting trial on charges of second degree murder and criminal possession of weapon by a felon.
According to the court documents, officers with the Topeka Police Department responded to Reser’s Fine Foods in east Topeka near I-70 at around 4:30 p.m. on April 11, 2024. They arrived to find the Privette dead on the property. He had been shot multiple times. Clothing believed to belong Holmes was found nearby.
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During their investigation, Topeka police reported no one witnessed the murder take place. Officers interviewed people on the scene who reported Privette and Holmes worked the same job during different shifts with a couple hours of overlap, according to the affidavit. Coworkers told police they were not aware of of any specific threats or acts of violence by Holmes.
Police said surveillance video showed Privette working on the trash compactor before collapsing out of view of the camera. According to the affidavit, within a minute of Privette’s collapse, Holmes walked away from area, got into a vehicle and drove off.
Just before 6 p.m. that same day, a Topeka police detective located Holmes’ car in the 500 block of Southwest Buchanan Street. A few days later, on April 13, police arrested Holmes after an officer spotted him walking in southeast Topeka. Police searched Holmes and found a magazine containing ammunition that matched what was found on scene, according to court documents.
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