3-minute read
Eighteen empty Heineken bottles line the wall outside Wally’s Poolhall on East Main Street.
They sit beside flowers and cigarettes — a makeshift memorial to Steven Michael Magee, a regular at the bar who friends say loved pool, poker, Green Bay Packers football, and a cold beer with friends.
Magee, 48, was shot and killed outside the pool hall early Thursday morning, March 5, after an argument with another patron, according to the Lakeland Police Department.
Less than 24 hours later, detectives arrested Kevin Lamont Reed Jr., 34, and charged him with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
Police say the shooting happened about 12:35 a.m. Thursday in the parking lot of Wally’s Poolhall, 1136 E. Main St.
Officers arriving at the scene found Magee lying on the sidewalk unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Health, where he later died.
It is the second murder in Lakeland this year. There were four murders in 2025.
Backing away with his hands up
Police said Reed had been inside the pool hall with two women. Magee was also there, but the two men did not interact.
Reed and the women stepped outside shortly after midnight. Magee went outside around 12:28 a.m., investigators said. At some point, the two men got into an argument outside.
Witnesses told police that one of the women tried to hold Reed back while the men argued.
Magee began backing away with his hands raised, appearing to try to de-escalate the confrontation, police said. Reed followed and pushed him.
Detectives say Reed then turned, as if he were leaving. After taking a few steps, he turned back, pulled a handgun, and fired multiple rounds at Magee.
Magee drew his own weapon and returned fire as he fell to the ground, according to police.
Reed then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Caught on camera
Eric “Junior” Ostrom, who works at Wally’s and had known Magee for about eight years, said police contacted Wally’s shortly after the shooting seeking access to security footage. The bar’s manager turned over recordings from about 10 or 11 cameras, including three outside.
“They took the whole box,” Ostrom said, pointing to where the recording equipment normally sits.
Detectives arrested Reed at his residence around 10 p.m. Thursday.
While taking him into custody, investigators said they located a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting. It will be tested as evidence.
A familiar face at Wally’s
Inside the pool hall, friends created another tribute: a Heineken and a glass of Jameson whiskey — Magee’s favorite drink — beside a painting bearing his name wrapped around the Green Bay Packers logo.
Magee was an avid pool and poker player who had been part of the Wally’s community for years, going several nights a week.
Ostrom said the shooting shocked many of the bar’s regulars.
“He was really chill,” Ostrom said. “Quiet most of the time, but if someone else is at the table who likes to make jokes, he’d join in the bantering. … He was just a fun-loving, peaceful guy.”
Magee and his wife, Bridget, both of Lakeland, were high school sweethearts who met when she was 14 and he was 16, Ostrom said. Friends often affectionately referred to Magee as a nerd, partly because he loved playing video games.
The couple were members of the American Poolplayers Association. Magee’s team, the “Pocket Trolls,” recently qualified for the APA 9-Ball World Pool Championships scheduled for August in Las Vegas.
Both the APA Polk County and Wally’s posted tributes to Magee on social media.
Support for Magee’s family
Friends have launched an online fundraiser to support Magee’s family. As of 3 p.m. Friday, a GoFundMe campaign for Magee’s wife and five children had received 53 donations and raised $3,625.
latest news
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
