In the early morning hours of March 27, 2022, a sense of stillness on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City was shattered by the echo of gunfire. Inside a vehicle that had come to a sudden halt in a lane of traffic, Deontae DeJuan Thomas Sr., a 30-year-old Black male, was found shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the SUV, a 24-year-old woman, was also struck by numerous bullets and was rushed to a local hospital in stable condition.
The discovery was made by
an Oklahoma County Sheriff's deputy who happened upon the bullet-riddled SUV near Southeast 23rd Street. The vehicle itself told a story of a violent encounter, though the events leading up to the shooting remained a mystery to investigators in the immediate aftermath. Oklahoma City Police were called to the scene around 3:50 a.m. and began what would become an extensive homicide investigation.
In the days that followed, authorities worked to piece together the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting of Thomas and the wounding of his companion. Despite their efforts and public appeals for information, the case remained an open and active investigation. No suspects were immediately identified, and no arrests were made in connection with the incident, leaving a community to mourn and a family to await answers. The motive behind the shooting was not readily apparent to law enforcement, adding to the unsettling nature of the violent event.
