Deandre Lamadris Graham, a 33-year-old African American male, was tragically killed on March 30, 2022, in Amarillo, Texas. The incident occurred at the Axiom Apartments on Bell Street. According to reports, Graham was shot twice in the chest by a 15-year-old suspect named D'Dric Leevon Thomas. The shooting took place in the early hours of the morning, around 4:30 a.m., after a series of events that led to the fatal encounter.
On the night of the incident, Thomas had visited Graham's
apartment seeking a place to stay after being kicked out of his home. During his visit, Thomas discovered that a handgun he carried in his backpack was missing. Upset and believing that Graham had taken the gun, Thomas, along with two other juveniles, returned to Graham's apartment to retrieve it. They found the handgun and, in a fit of anger, Thomas damaged or disabled the surveillance cameras that Graham had set up in his apartment.
Later that night, Graham, who was also upset about the tampering with his security system, made several phone calls expressing his frustration and demanding that Thomas fix the damage. Graham then went to another apartment within the same complex, where Thomas had hidden in the bathtub with his handgun. When Graham entered the bathroom, Thomas fired the gun, striking Graham in the chest. Graham was unarmed at the time of the shooting and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Following the shooting, Thomas fled the scene, prompting a city-wide alert. He turned himself in to the police two days later. At the time of the shooting, Thomas was on juvenile probation for previous offenses, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest. Court records revealed that Thomas had been referred to juvenile probation for eleven alleged offenses in Potter County, including six felonies.
Thomas was initially charged with murder and manslaughter. After a series of legal proceedings, he pled guilty to the charge of manslaughter in exchange for a sentence of 12 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The case highlighted the challenges of juvenile crime and the complexities of the legal system in dealing with such cases. The tragic death of Deandre Lamadris Graham serves as a somber reminder of the impact of violence and the importance of addressing the root causes of juvenile delinquency.
