NEW YORK, NY – A 19-year-old gunman accused of fatally shooting teenage peacemaker Mahlik Brown in SoHo last week was identified by his distinctive colored sneakers, according to prosecutors.
Henry Thomas, the baby-faced murder suspect, was wearing black Air Jordan sneakers with red and yellow trim when he allegedly shot and killed Mahki Brown on May 7. Surveillance footage captured Thomas sitting in the basket of a Citi Bike before the shooting at the luxury Dominick Hotel in Manhattan.
Mahki Brown, only 16 years old, was attempting to intervene in a fight between three girls from his charter school when Thomas opened fire, hitting him twice in the legs and once in the head. During an arraignment hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court, prosecutors revealed details of the shooting, leading to Thomas being held without bail.
Following the shooting, Thomas and an accomplice fled the scene, with detectives using surveillance video from nearby buildings to track their movements to Avenue D on the Lower East Side. Despite Thomas wearing a mask and a hoodie during the shooting, detectives were able to identify him through recovered footage and his unique sneakers.
In a search of Thomas’ home on Avenue D, detectives found the sneakers he wore during the murder. Thomas, who had no prior arrests but had been previously questioned by police, was charged with murder and weapons possession. His attorney disputed the prosecutor’s use of language during the hearing, emphasizing Thomas’s intention to fight the charges.
The tragic death of Mahki Brown is part of a recent string of teen killings in the city, with eight individuals under 18 having been murdered so far this year. Despite a decrease from the same period last year, the violence has been a concerning trend in the community.
Friends and neighbors remember Mahki as someone who always sought to diffuse tense situations and help others. The senseless killing has left the community in shock and grieving the loss of a young life taken too soon.
As the investigation continues and the case progresses through the legal system, the impact of Mahki’s death serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing issues of violence and youth crime in the city.