On the morning of October 12, 2019, gunfire tore through an illegal gambling club at 74 Utica Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The shooting killed 32-year-old John Thomas and three other men; cards and dice were scattered at the scene. NYPD investigators described the scene as chaotic and said the violence appeared to have started from a dispute inside the club.

Police suspected 37-year-old Chester Goode opened fire after believing he had been cheated; in the ensuing exchange Goode allegedly fatally shot John Thomas and 36-year-old Terence Bishop. The club’s bouncer, 47-year-old Dominick Wimbush, is believed to have returned fire, killing Goode before Wimbush himself died of his injuries. Two firearms were recovered at the scene. No arrests were made immediately following the shooting.

In December 2019 the NYPD announced a separate gang takedown that included charges in a conspiracy indictment alleging two murders and several shootings; some reports linked those arrests to investigations into the area’s violence. The primary law enforcement account maintains that the deadly incident stemmed from the internal dispute at the gambling den. Did anyone in Crown Heights or who knew John Thomas have information about that night or the people who were inside the club?