A man whose federal drug charges were commuted by President Obama in November 2016 was killed in what police are describing as an execution. Demarlon C. Thomas, 31, was serving a 19-year prison sentence for a 2008 cocaine charge, but with the commutation, the sentence was to expire on March 22, 2017. When he learned that he would be freed early, Thomas wrote to family, “My long-term goals are to get a job, start a family, and do for my family. Also, just to live my life to the realest I can when I get out.”
Those hopes ended on Monday of this week when two armed men rushed into the Bannum Place Federal Corrections Halfway House in Saginaw, Michigan. The men were carrying assault weapons and ordered a person behind a desk to move away from the phones. At least a dozen people were held at gunpoint by the two men. Security footage caught part of the action as one of the gunmen left the room and found Thomas. According to police, Thomas was shot several times, including in the head, before the gunmen fled the scene. Authorities say that Thomas, a former member of Saginaw’s Sunny Side Gang was heavily involved in the gang activity that led to his arrest. He was arrested as part of “Operation Sunset,” a federal investigation that effectively dismantled the Sunny Side Gang in Saginaw, for possessing 5 grams of cocaine. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured and no one was immediately taken into custody.
The Michigan State Police Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. Anyone with information about the slaying is asked to call Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Jim Bush directly at (231) 250-9471, or Crime Stoppers at 800-422-JAIL.
