In the early morning hours of February 25, 2017, in downtown Denver, Clarence Lamont Thomas, a 33-year-old man, lost his life in a selfless act. Near 15th and Market Streets, as bars were closing, a fight broke out. Thomas, a father of two young sons, stepped in to break up the altercation, a decision that would tragically be his last. During his attempt to mediate the conflict, he was shot in the back of the head.
His family and friends remember him as a hero who died while trying to do the right thing.
Described as a hardworking man and a devoted father, Thomas worked long hours, sometimes 10 to 12 a day, to provide for his family. He was engaged to be married to Victoria Johnson, the mother of one of his sons. His loved ones characterized him as a kind and compassionate person who consistently put others before himself. His father, Arthur Williams, expressed that his son was simply trying to be the person he was raised to be by avoiding fights and doing what was right.
In the wake of the shooting, the Denver police began a search for the person responsible. Their investigation led them to 18-year-old Devante Crawford. In June 2017, Crawford was formally charged with murder and intimidating a witness in connection with Thomas's death. The charges were announced on what would have been Thomas's 34th birthday, a somber milestone for a family grappling with a senseless loss.
