Republic man ordered to stand trial in Snowden Terrace homicide
A Republic man was ordered to stand trial on homicide and related charges Tuesday for a fatal shooting at a large 4th of July party in Snowden Terrace.
O鈥橲hea Carrington Thomas, 24, was the second person to be charged with shooting 28-year-old Taekwon 鈥淒errick Taylor鈥� Commodore on July 5, 2016. A homicide charge previously filed against Jamal Brown, 22, of Brownsville was withdrawn Nov. 23 after he spent 4 1/2 months in jail held without bond.
Jamie Thomas testified he was with Commodore and several other people at Snowden Terrace that night. An argument started when several people accused them of being 鈥渟nitches鈥� after police were called for a reported burglary just after midnight.
He said he saw Brown firing shots in the air, followed by a second person shooting, and then a third. The group ran down the hill as bullets whizzed over their heads, he said.
鈥�(Commodore) like gasped, and said he was shot,鈥� Thomas testified.
He said he tried to apply pressure to the wound on his friend鈥檚 neck, then put him in the car in an attempt to flee the shooting and take him to for help.
鈥淚t just didn鈥檛 work,鈥� he said.
Commodore died on the way to the hospital. Thomas stopped at the Brownsville police station at 12:50 a.m.
鈥淵ou never saw O鈥檚hea shooting a gun, did you?鈥� Thomas鈥� attorney, Peter Daley II asked during cross-examination.
鈥淚 saw flashes in front of him,鈥� he said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene at Snowden Terrace, even before the argument.
鈥淗onestly, I can鈥檛 think of everyone that had guns. It鈥檚 the projects,鈥� Brittany Foster testified under cross-examination. 鈥淚t was a party on the 4th of July. There were 300, 500 people down there.鈥�
She testified Thomas walked into her house with a large handgun and asked her to move her pit bull from the back door so he could walk outside. He walked out and she heard gunfire. When he came back inside, he seemed 鈥渘ervous and shaky.鈥�
鈥淗e was just like, 鈥業 think I got him. I think I shot him,'鈥� she said.
Another witness, Alexa Neil, testified she arrived at Snowden Terrace afterward and heard Thomas confess to the shooting.
Daley argued his client鈥檚 charges should be dismissed because no witnesses testified to seeing Thomas shoot Commodore.
Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock determined enough evidence was presented to hold Thomas for trial.
He is charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy to engage in homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with evidence. He is held without bail in Fayette County Prison.