Deshawn Thomas allegedly shoots St. Louis homeless man execution-style: video

A St. Louis man was arrested Tuesday after video appeared to catch him nonchalantly shooting a homeless man execution-style in broad daylight.

Deshawn Thomas, 23, was arrested in connection with the Monday murder but has yet to the charged, according to the RiverFront Times.

Thomas can be seen struggling to load his gun as he stands right behind the homeless man, who is sitting on the curb just a few feet away, bystander video posted online shows.

He then appeared to fire on the yet-to-be identified victim.

“Oh my god. He just f–king killed him,” the witness can be heard saying.

Deshawn Thomas, 23, can be seen on video struggling to load his gun as he stands near the victim in downtown St. Louis.
Deshawn Thomas, 23, can be seen on video struggling to load his gun as he stands near the victim in downtown St. Louis.
Twitter

Deshawn Thomas, 23, can be seen on video struggling to load his gun as he stands near the victim in downtown St. Louis.
Police said the two men had a run-in at a nearby gas station minutes before the execution-style shooting.
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Photo of the shooter pointing the gun at the homeless man, just a few feet from him.
A bystander taking video caught the murder happening in broad daylight.
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The shooting happened in the heart of downtown St. Louis Monday at around 10 a.m., police said.

“Any homicide is unnerving,” Maj. Ryan Cousins told the St. Louis Dispatch at the scene, “but for this one to happen here, at this time, very much so.”


Deshawn Thomas
Deshawn Thomas, 23, was arrested at a library after fleeing the scene of the shooting.
St. Louis Police Department

The victim, whose name has not been released, had fended off Thomas at a Shell gas station just minutes before, the Dispatch reported. Thomas then chased him across the street before allegedly shooting him, the paper said.

Cousins said the suspect is likely in his 40s.

The video was posted on Twitter but was taken down to its graphic nature.

“Twitter took down this video I posted yesterday so I’ll post it again,” the person who posted the video wrote, according to the Riverfront Times. “Doesn’t show the murder on camera so stop censoring it.”

Thomas was taken into custody by police at a local library after fleeing the scene.