Martez Thomas was 23 when he was shot and killed on September 4, 2018, in Cleveland. He was sitting in his car on East 121st Street when two suspects approached, opened the doors and began firing, striking him in the head and chest. He was taken to University Hospitals Medical Center and declared dead on arrival; another person in the car was also shot and hospitalized.

Investigators say the suspects fled in a vehicle that was later seen dropping off a wounded person at South Pointe Hospital. That individual, identified as Walter Jackson, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder and felonious assault; ballistics testing and DNA evidence reportedly linked him to the shooting. Jackson was on probation for two gun offenses at the time of the incident.

Authorities later identified Delvonte Philpotts as the person who arranged the robbery by luring Thomas with a phony offer to buy a refurbished iPhone. Philpotts was found guilty on multiple counts including aggravated murder and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to life without parole. Thomas’s family has spoken publicly about their grief and relief that someone was held accountable.

Did anyone in the community see activity on East 121st Street around the time of the shooting or know more about who was involved?