In the early morning hours of September 4, 2017, a dispute in a Thibodaux, Louisiana trailer park tragically cut short the life of 29-year-old Deeric Raymond. A native of Houma and resident of Raceland, the male victim was fatally shot during an altercation.
That morning, at approximately 1:25 a.m., deputies from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the Solar Trailer Park following reports of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Raymond inside a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. He was rushed to Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that a physical fight had broken out between two men. Raymond had attempted to intervene and de-escalate the situation. After the initial fight was broken up, one of the men involved, identified as Brhian Thomas, who was 37 at the time, produced a handgun and fired multiple shots. One of these bullets struck Raymond. Thomas then fled the scene.
Law enforcement quickly identified Thomas as the suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of second-degree murder. In November 2018, after a four-day trial, a jury found Brhian Thomas guilty of the second-degree murder of Deeric Raymond. The trial centered on whether Thomas acted in self-defense, a claim the jury ultimately rejected. Following his conviction, Thomas was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
