In the pre-dawn hours of November 4, 2017, a weekend that community activists had hoped would be marked by a ceasefire in Baltimore, 40-year-old Tony Anthony Mason Jr. was shot and killed. He was sitting in a parked car with a female companion in the 2800 block of Elgin Avenue when another vehicle pulled alongside them. Someone from within the second car called out before opening fire, striking Mason multiple times. The woman with him was also shot in the leg but survived her injuries. Mason, a 17-year veteran of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. At the time of the attack, he was off-duty, unarmed, and not in uniform.
For years, the case remained unsolved, a painful mystery for Mason's family and colleagues. Investigators initially explored the possibility of a domestic dispute but found no evidence to support that theory. Extensive background checks on both Mason and his companion revealed no links to any criminal or gang activity. The investigation appeared to have stalled until a crucial tip emerged in early 2023, breathing new life into the cold case. This information, provided by an individual close to the alleged perpetrator, pointed detectives toward a new suspect.
In April 2024, authorities announced a significant breakthrough with the arrest of Dion Thompson, who was 24 years old at the time of the announcement. Thompson was formally charged with the murder of Tony Mason Jr. Investigators now believe the shooting was a tragic case of mistaken identity. Thompson was allegedly the leader of a drug organization known as 'The Slickest Ones,' and it is believed he mistook Mason's vehicle for that of a rival crew seeking retaliation for robberies he had committed. According to a witness, Thompson later admitted his involvement, stating he didn't know the occupants of the car but assumed they were there to harm him. After the shooting, he reportedly told his brother he 'got one tonight,' and to 'watch the news.' This arrest marked the first successful prosecution for the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office's new Cold Case Unit. Thompson was already serving time in a federal prison in New Jersey on unrelated drug and weapons charges at the time the murder charges were brought against him.
