Father of 12-year-old school shooter told officials he hit son (Washoe County, Nevada)

Interesting that there is no mention of a mother in this home. Was there one? Or was JOSE HORACIO REYES a single father?

http://www.rgj.com/interactive/article/20131106/NEWS/311060092/Father-Sparks-school-shooter-told-officials-he-hit-son?nclick_check=1

Father of Sparks school shooter told officials he hit son

Pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charge

By Siobhan McAndrew 11:51 PM, Nov. 6, 2013 |

The father of the Sparks Middle School shooter told a school counselor he was responsible for his son’s black eye and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child abuse charges, police and court records show.

Assistant District Attorney John Helzer wrote in an email Wednesday that Jose Horacio Reyes, 32, also known as Reyes-Mandujano, fully cooperated with authorities in the incident nearly two years ago and that investigators found no other incidents “remotely similar involving Mr. Reyes with his son or others.”

“I completely support the action taken and, given the same facts in another case, would support a similar resolution,” Helzer wrote in the email.

Reyes is the father of Jose Reyes, the 12-year-old who on Oct. 21 shot and killed a teacher, injured two students and killed himself just before the first bell at Sparks Middle School.

On Jan. 31, 2012, Reyes went to school officials to report that he had struck his son the previous day. He was arrested on felony child abuse charges. He later pleaded guilty in Sparks Justice Court to a misdemeanor charge of child abuse, neglect or endangerment and was ordered to pay a $500 fine and attend anger management and parenting classes.

“In a moment of high emotion, and clearly a mistake, no one knew it was more wrong than Jose Reyes,” said Kent Robison, whose firm has represented the Reyes family for their restaurant business and now in the school shooting case. “He turned himself in and was honest about what happened.”

Robison said Reyes and his son had a wonderful relationship.

On Jan. 30, 2012, Reyes and his son, then 10, got in an argument. The two had returned from buying video games.

Jose was having trouble counting the money to pay for the games, and when the two returned home, Reyes tried to teach his son how to count money, according to a Sparks police report.

After a disagreement, Reyes said, “You don’t have to be a crybaby,” according to the police report.

Jose told police that he became upset and struck his father.

Reyes then “lost control of himself,” and with an open hand, smacked his son two or three times in the face, according to the report.

Jose also told police it was the first time his father struck him. He said he was normally put in timeout if he got into trouble.

Reyes told police he was sick to his stomach over what he had done, according to the arrest report.

The next morning Reyes said his son had a black eye.

He took his son to school and asked to speak to a school counselor. The school called Washoe County Social Services, which called the police.

“Reyes-Mandujano is being very cooperative and honest and forthright, but I was still going to place him under arrest and take him to jail tonight,” the police officer wrote in the report.

Police reported that Reyes and his son both told the same story of the incident and that Reyes had no criminal history.