On the early morning of May 15, 2021, 26-year-old Ryan Thomas was shot once in the chest after leaving a party in Queens, New York. He managed to drive about eight blocks with friends in the car before stopping at Francis Lewis Boulevard and 111th Avenue, where bystanders or passengers called for help. Paramedics took him to Queens Hospital Center, and he was pronounced dead.

Friends and family described a recent turnaround in Ryan’s life: a new relationship, steady work as a security guard, and plans for a future away from earlier associations with a street gang and prior arrests. His mother had expected marriage and grandchildren rather than a funeral.

The shooter fled the scene and remains unidentified. The motive has not been established and the NYPD continues to investigate. If anyone witnessed the shooting, the vehicle driving afterward, or has information about who fired the shot, please come forward.