In the summer of 2020, the life of 19-year-old James Lamont Thomas was cut short in an act of violence that unfolded at an apartment complex in Columbia, South Carolina. A young man known for his love of basketball and his vibrant presence, Thomas was fatally shot on the evening of July 5, 2020, at The Rowan apartments, a complex primarily housing college students.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department responded to a call of shots fired and found Thomas with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the death of the young Black man quickly pointed to a suspect. The Richland County Sheriff's Department identified 23-year-old Tony Marquell Trapp as the individual sought in connection with the fatal shooting. Investigators released information to the public, seeking their assistance in locating Trapp, who they considered armed and dangerous. They also circulated images of a 2020 silver Toyota Camry, believed to be the getaway vehicle, which had noticeable damage to the left rear quarter panel and was bearing paper tags. Authorities believed Trapp was a passenger in this car.
A break in the case came on July 22, 2020, when Tony Marquell Trapp turned himself in to the Richland County Sheriff's Department investigators at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of James Lamont Thomas. In addition to the murder charge, Trapp faced other unrelated charges, including aggravated breach of peace, malicious injury to real property, and instigating, aiding, or participating in a riot stemming from a separate incident.
While an arrest was made, the details surrounding the motive for the shooting and the specifics of the events leading up to it were not widely publicized. The identity and involvement of the driver of the silver Toyota Camry also remained an unresolved aspect of the public narrative of the case. The legal proceedings that followed the arrest of Tony Marquell Trapp would determine the final chapter in the quest for justice for James Lamont Thomas and his grieving family. There is no publicly available information on the outcome of the trial or any conviction in this case.
