In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 18, 2021, a tragic event unfolded at the Meadows Mobile Home Park in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, resulting in the death of 28-year-old Dequan Calvin Thomas. A male, he was fatally shot in the home he shared with his roommate.
Deputies were dispatched to the residence in the 6600 block of Wagon Drive around 2 a.m. after the 911 call center received a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Thomas suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. Despite the life-saving efforts of first responders, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter was identified as Terrence Oliver Smith, Thomas's 37-year-old roommate. Smith claimed to investigators that he believed someone was breaking into his home and, in a state of fear, he fired several shots through a door. It was through this door that Thomas was struck.
Following an investigation and consultation with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, Terrence Oliver Smith was arrested and faced a series of serious charges. These included second-degree murder, possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony, possession of a stolen firearm, discharging a firearm from a dwelling causing death, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The firearm used in the incident was reportedly stolen from Stafford County earlier in May 2021. Smith was subsequently held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
