On July 4, 2020, 18-year-old Thomas Edelen was shot and killed at a Baton Rouge home during a backyard gathering. Edelen was visiting the residence of his friend, 18-year-old Janosch Joushua Belle, for a barbecue when Belle showed an assault style rifle in his bedroom. Belle told investigators he had taken the weapon apart, cleaned it, reassembled it, loaded the magazine, chambered a round, pointed the rifle at Edelen and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Edelen in the head and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Belle was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison; the initial charge was negligent homicide and law enforcement described the incident as an accidental shooting. Edelen had recently graduated from Woodlawn High School and was days away from his 19th birthday. Family and friends remembered him as kind and vibrant.

Does anyone have information about the night of July 4, 2020, or knew Thomas that could help clarify what happened?