On a September day in 2016, a violent encounter inside a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania home cut short the life of 23-year-old Irvando Crooks. The young man, a male originally from Brooklyn, was fatally shot in what prosecutors would later describe as an execution stemming from a dispute over drugs and money. The incident unfolded inside a residence on North Sherman Street, a place investigators identified as a hub for local drug activity.
The conflict that led to the deadly shooting reportedly began when Crooks, who supplied drugs to local dealers, had a disagreement with Tevon Kashaine Thomas, then 25, and Keanu 'Preky' Pinnock, then 20. Prosecutors argued that Thomas, who considered himself Crooks' 'right-hand man,' felt disrespected during a confrontation over money and the removal of Pinnock from a drug-selling operation. This dispute escalated, with Thomas allegedly pulling a gun. In the ensuing struggle, Thomas shot Crooks in the leg, and Pinnock fired the shots that struck him in the chest. Irvando Crooks was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the shooting, both Thomas and Pinnock fled the area. Their time as fugitives was, however, limited. Keanu Pinnock was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Sunrise, Florida, in December 2016. Tevon Thomas was also captured, and both men were brought back to Pennsylvania to face charges in connection with Crooks' death.
The legal process brought a measure of closure to the case. Keanu Pinnock pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and agreed to testify against his co-defendant. In January 2018, a jury found Tevon Thomas guilty of first-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of Irvando Crooks, bringing the legal chapter of this violent episode to a definitive end.
