BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama man has been charged in the death of his 15-year-old son, who died in a car crash after the man led officers and a reality television crew on a high speed chase.
Reico Terry, 41, was charged Wednesday with reckless murder in the death of Jaylen Derrell Terry, news outlets reported.
Terry already was charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony eluding, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Joni Money said the chase started Saturday afternoon when deputies, accompanied by a TV crew from the program Live PD, reported seeing a drug transaction at a suburban gas station. The crew was filming, but wasn’t live.
When deputies tried to approach Terry, he sped away toward Interstate 59/20, Money said.
Money previously said deputies stopped chasing Terry once he left the interstate but after a supervisory review, it was confirmed that deputies still pursued the vehicle.
The chase ended when Terry sped through a red light and was hit by an oncoming diesel truck, Money said.
Deputies said a front-seat passenger had minor injuries and was later questioned and released. Terry's son Jaylen was in the backseat and died at the hospital.
It's unclear whether Terry had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
In November, four people were hospitalized and some critically injured following a crash in Birmingham during a chase by Jefferson County deputies, with Live PD accompanying.
The show portrays police action without any music, script, interviews or narrator. The contract with Jefferson County ended in December, but The Birmingham News reports Live PD crews have continued to accompany deputies, although filming is no longer live.
The Associated Press
