On the night of February 6, 2017, violent tragedy struck the Forest Park Apartments in Jackson, Mississippi, claiming the life of 29-year-old Black male Mario Lampkin. The incident occurred in the darkness of the late night or early morning hours at the residential complex located on Forest Avenue. Officers from the Jackson Police Department were dispatched to the scene following reports of a shooting, where they discovered Lampkin suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Emergency responders transported Lampkin to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in hopes of saving his life, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival in the early morning hours. The homicide detectives of the Jackson Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, searching for clues within the apartment complex to piece together the events that led to the slaying.
Investigators soon identified a suspect in the case: 30-year-old Joshua Thomas. Police gathered sufficient evidence to charge Thomas with murder in connection with Lampkin's death. Following the identification, law enforcement initiated a manhunt for Thomas, who was considered armed and dangerous. Despite the charges and the identification of the alleged shooter, reports from Central Mississippi Crime Stoppers later listed the case as unsolved, indicating that Thomas had become a fugitive wanted by the Fugitive Task Force and the Jackson Police Department. A reward was subsequently offered for information leading to his arrest, as authorities continued to seek the public's help in locating him to face the murder charge.
