Man accused of fatally shooting girlfriend weeks after conditional release on firearms charge

A Brampton man with a history of allegedly flouting bail conditions related to firearm offences has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a double shooting Tuesday in which his girlfriend was killed.

Darnell Reid, 27, is accused of killing Darian Hailey Henderson Bellman, 25, whom Peel Regional Police publicly identified in a news release Friday.

In that same release, the Peel police chief blasted the decision to release Reid just weeks after he was arrested in connection with another firearms offence.

"In this incident, the sadness I feel for the victim and her family is mixed with frustration for a complete failure of our justice system to protect her," Nishan Duraiappah said.

Reid has also been charged with possession of a loaded firearm, and two counts of failing to comply with a release order in connection with the double shooting.

Henderson-Bellman and Reid had been in a relationship for approximately three years, police said.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were notified about a shooting at a home in the area of Deerpark Crescent and Fairglen Avenue, near Williams Parkway and McLaughlin Road North.

When police arrived, they found Henderson-Bellman and Reid inside, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Henderson-Bellman was pronounced dead at the scene while Reid was transported to a trauma centre where he remains in critical condition.

Reid previously arrested for possession of an illegal firearm

In the news release, police said Reid was arrested in May for possession of an illegal firearm in an unrelated matter.

According to the release, Reid has regularly ignored his conditions of release, and has continued to offend by possessing illegal firearms, but was released back into the community with a GPS monitoring device after only six days in custody..

This was despite clear concerns regarding his risk to the victim, the community and the potential to continue to re-offend, police said.

"At the time of this incident, the accused was the subject of an interim judicial release stemming from a previous domestic violence incident between the accused and the victim, Duraiappah said in the release.

'We need to do better'

"Since that charge, he had been arrested on four separate occasions for breaching terms of his release by being in contact with her. The family and police struggled to keep her safe," he added.

The police chief described the situation as an "unacceptable failure," which is becoming entirely too familiar in communities.

"Collectively we need to do better," he said.