'NCIS' kills a character and it's not Abby Sciuto

In an unexpected turn of events, Clayton Reeves, played by Duane Henry, passed away on during the opening scene of NCIS.

During May 1's episode, the beloved character was in the company of Abby Sciuto when the two were approached by a man who pulled a firearm on them, in what looked like a mugging.

Sciuto tried her best to calm he attacker down and convince him to lower his weapon. A struggle for the gun followed and the screen cut to black as it fired, as reported by Pop Culture.

Before the mugging attempt, Reeves and Sciuto were at an igloo-themed restaurant, where they had dinner. Fans wondered whether this would be the last time seeing the gothic forensic scientist.

Pauley Perrette, who plays Abby Sciuto, announced on October 4, 2017, through her Twitter account, that she would be leaving the TV hit show, which forced the writers to start thinking of a way to put an end to the character.

Because of this, no one saw Reeves death coming. Later in the episode, the NCIS team is seen standing around a body bag in a medical examination room. When it was open, Reeves' face was revealed.

Eleanor Bishop and Nick Torres, respectively played by Emily Wickersham and Wilmer Valderrama, mourned the loss of their colleague while Sciuto was being treated at the hospital.

Bishop confessed to Torres that she would miss Reeves very much because he was like a brother to her and that she never had the opportunity to tell him that.

But the characters weren't the only ones shocked by Reeves' death. Despite being on the show for only 44 episodes, NCIS fans created a bond with Henry's character.

Many took to social media to express their pain, while others confessed that, with the whole speculation about Sciuto's death, they didn't expect to see Reeves' in a body bag.