In the early morning hours of August 1, 2020, in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, a 35-year-old musician named Eric Thomas was fatally shot. The male victim was about to leave his first-floor apartment at 22-27 Dix Avenue when he was confronted by a man who had just entered the building.
The assailant, later identified as 35-year-old Tyrell Dennis, had first encountered a woman in the mailroom of the building, where he pointed a gun at her head and questioned her about
the whereabouts of certain individuals. Shortly after this encounter, another man was seen leaving Thomas's apartment, leaving the door ajar. It was at this moment that Dennis approached Thomas, pulled a handgun from his waistband, and shot him once in the chest. Thomas was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
For months, Dennis remained at large. His flight from justice came to an end in November 2020, when Pennsylvania state troopers pulled him over near Chambersburg for driving with his headlights and taillights off. Dennis initially provided a fake driver's license and, after failing sobriety tests, attempted to flee on foot. He even circled back to his car in an attempt to drive away again, but lost control of the vehicle. When confronted by an officer, Dennis physically assaulted him before being taken into custody.
Once his identity was confirmed and he was linked to the murder of Eric Thomas, Dennis was extradited back to New York in June 2021. He was subsequently charged with murder in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and menacing in the second degree. In June 2023, a jury found Tyrell Dennis guilty of the charges. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Thomas's family remembered him as a man with a 'heart of gold' who was a peacemaker and actively tried to make a positive difference in his community through his music and aid to others.
