Michael Lamont Davis, 22, of Lancaster, California, was shot and killed on June 26, 2015. Earlier that day a motorist, identified in reports as Demonte Antone Thomas, ran over Davis’ poodle with a 1985 white Chevy Blazer. Davis lived in an apartment complex on East Avenue H-14 with his pregnant girlfriend and their young son. He confronted the driver and demanded the dog’s veterinary expenses; after a heated exchange the driver left and Davis took the injured dog to a veterinarian, but the dog later died.

That night Thomas returned with a group of five to seven men. When Davis again asked for compensation, Thomas produced a gun and shot him multiple times. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene and witnesses described the shooter as a black male in his early 20s. Demonte Antone Thomas was identified as the primary suspect, arrested and charged with first-degree murder; reports say he was later found guilty at trial and scheduled for sentencing in August 2017.

What details about the evening or the group that returned would help clarify how the confrontation escalated?