On a late Sunday evening in Tunica, Mississippi, the sound of gunfire pierced the night, forever altering the lives of two families. On April 13, 2025, at roughly 11:13 p.m., the Tunica County Sheriff's Office received a frantic 911 call reporting a shooting at the intersection of Carol Street and Edwards Avenue. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered 18-year-old Makenzie Kaleb Thomas, a Black male, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate efforts of first responders to treat him at the scene, his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead by the Tunica County Coroner, Glen Grant. His body was subsequently sent to the Mississippi Crime Lab for an autopsy.
The investigation into the tragic death of Makenzie Kaleb Thomas swiftly led authorities to identify a suspect. An active warrant was issued for 17-year-old Mario Donyale Lester, Jr., also of Tunica County, on charges of First Degree Murder and Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm within a Populated Area. Law enforcement officials cautioned the public that Lester was considered armed and dangerous and warned that anyone found to be aiding him in eluding capture would face criminal charges.
The search for the teenage suspect was brief. On April 16, 2025, the Tunica County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Mario Donyale Lester, Jr. had been apprehended and was in custody at the Tunica County Jail. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Makenzie Kaleb Thomas is ongoing.
