ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — A man from Boynton Beach has been arrested in Royal Palm Beach in connection with a fatal shooting. The suspect, 37-year-old Sammie Thomas, is facing charges of aggravated child abuse as well.
The incident occurred on June 3 at a residence on Nottingham Road. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the living room. Despite being taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center, the 32-year-old victim later succumbed to his injuries.
According to the witness, the children were inside a bedroom during the shooting. However, surveillance footage clearly shows that at least one child witnessed the entire incident.
The footage captured a terrified child running out of the house after two gunshots were heard. A man’s voice can be heard saying, “Stop playing bro, this is what you wanted bro.”
After the child re-enters the residence, a woman’s voice instructs him to go into a room. The footage also includes the male voice asking about keys and stating, “He’s gone man.” Thomas then took the witness’s keys and fled the scene in a Chevrolet Utility Vehicle.
Upon recovering the vehicle and obtaining a search warrant on June 4, investigators found a black semi-automatic handgun underneath a black hoodie on the front passenger seat.
The forensic pathologist determined that three of the gunshot wounds were consistent with the victim being shot while on the ground.
Additionally, the report noted that one of the gunshot wounds was to the back of the victim’s head, indicating that he had his back turned to the shooter.
On June 5, Thomas was interviewed by the sheriff’s office. However, detectives found inconsistencies between Thomas’s statement and the physical evidence at the scene, the statements from the children, the audio from the surveillance footage, and the results of the autopsy.
The sheriff’s office has charged Thomas with second-degree murder, shooting inside an occupied dwelling, and aggravated child abuse.
