On a cold February evening in Kansas City, Missouri, a tragic event unfolded that would cut short the life of 49-year-old Sharriff Tilghman. On the night of February 2, 2022, police were called to the 7200 block of East 17th Street in the Blue Valley industrial area after a person reported a shooting. Arriving at the scene around 9:30 p.m., officers discovered a car that had crashed into a snowbank with its engine still running. Inside the vehicle, they found Mr.
Tilghman, who had been fatally shot. Paramedics who responded to the scene pronounced him dead.
The initial investigation revealed that the car Mr. Tilghman was found in had been reported stolen earlier that same day by his girlfriend, who was the owner of the vehicle. Investigators at the scene collected evidence that included nine bullet casings and noted that several bullet holes appeared to have come from outside the car. This discovery suggested that the fatal shots were fired at the vehicle before it came to a stop in the snowbank.
Surveillance footage from the area provided crucial leads for detectives. Video showed the car pulling into the area about an hour before the shooting was reported. A person was seen getting out of the passenger side, standing near where the bullet casings were later found, and then running from the scene. Another camera captured this individual jumping over a chain-link fence as they fled. Further investigation of the car's movements prior to the shooting led detectives to surveillance footage from area gas stations. In one of these videos, a passenger, later identified as Isaiah Thomas, was seen attempting to buy tobacco.
A significant breakthrough in the case came from DNA evidence. Investigators found a face mask on the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle where Mr. Tilghman's body was discovered. A lab report confirmed the likely presence of Isaiah Thomas's DNA on the mask. Police also traced the alleged murder weapon, a 9mm handgun, to an individual who lived at the same residence as Thomas. Additionally, a review of the victim's cell phone records showed two calls were allegedly placed to Thomas on the day of the killing, and location data from their cell phones showed they were in the same geographic area that day.
Based on this evidence, 19-year-old Isaiah Thomas was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the death of Sharriff Tilghman. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced the charges in April 2022, and prosecutors requested a bond of $250,000. The motive for the shooting was not immediately outlined in the charging documents.
