In the early hours of a Friday morning in St. Paul, Minnesota, a young Black/African American man named Mark Franklin Jr., 21, found himself in a fatal altercation while attempting to protect a friend. On March 15, 2019, Franklin was at a home on the 600 block of Elfelt Street when a dispute broke out between 19-year-old Theotis Thomas and his girlfriend. The argument escalated, and Thomas reportedly put his hands around his girlfriend's neck.
Witnessing this, Franklin intervened, physically removing Thomas from the young woman and slamming him onto a bed. Angered by Franklin's intervention, Thomas allegedly vowed to return with a gun and left the residence.
About half an hour later, Thomas returned to the house. Despite his earlier threat, he reportedly "sounded calm" as he knocked on the door and was let back inside by his girlfriend. With his hand in his pocket, he went upstairs searching for Franklin. His girlfriend attempted to hold him back, but Thomas managed to enter the room where Franklin was. He fired a shot that lodged in the wall. Franklin pleaded with him, yelling "put the gun down" and "what are you doing?". In the ensuing struggle for the weapon, a second shot was fired, striking Franklin in the left eye.
After the shooting, individuals in the home drove Franklin to Regions Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m. Later that day, Theotis Thomas turned himself in to the police. During questioning, he claimed to have no memory of the events, stating he was "too drunk and stoned to recall" what had happened. Investigators later found a handgun in a sock under the driver's seat of the girlfriend's SUV, and a shell casing from the scene matched the ammunition in the gun. Thomas, who had a prior conviction as a juvenile for second-degree assault, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Mark Franklin Jr.'s death. Police confirmed they were not seeking any other suspects in the case.
