In the early hours of July 28, 2024, a burst of gunfire on a north Minneapolis street marked the final moments of Omari Kwakou Thomas's life. Thomas, a 45-year-old Black/African American man from the nearby suburb of Brooklyn Center, was found on a sidewalk in the 3200 block of North Penn Avenue around 1:10 a.m. by officers responding to a ShotSpotter notification. He was suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound to his abdomen.
The shooter had vanished before police arrived at the scene.
Rushed to North Memorial Health hospital, Thomas fought for his life for several hours before succumbing to his injuries shortly after 7:30 a.m. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office later officially confirmed his identity and ruled his death a homicide, caused by complications from the gunshot wound. The incident was one of three separate shootings that occurred in Minneapolis within a short period, contributing to growing concerns about gun violence in the city.
The investigation into Thomas's death was complicated by his own legal troubles. At the time he was killed, he was awaiting an August trial for his alleged role in a shooting that occurred at a Minneapolis bar in January 2024. In that incident, Thomas was charged with assault and illegal gun possession. However, authorities have not publicly released any information to suggest a connection between his impending trial and his fatal shooting. As of the initial reports, the Minneapolis Police Department had not announced any arrests or identified any suspects in the killing of Omari Kwakou Thomas, leaving the circumstances surrounding his death under active investigation.
