Stephen Thomas, 40, a Black man from Conover, was shot shortly before 9 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, in the parking lot of the VIP Coin Laundry on Thornburg Drive SE. Officers found him wounded in the lot; he was struck in the lower abdomen and taken to Catawba Valley Medical Center. He died of his injuries two days later, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, according to an obituary from a Hickory funeral home and local reporting.

Police confirmed Thomas’s death and described the investigation as active in the days after the shooting. Regional outlets reported that by Thursday and Friday of that week no arrest had been announced and officials had not publicly identified a suspect. One report noted that investigators anticipated charges as the inquiry progressed. Coverage emphasized detectives were gathering evidence from the laundromat parking lot and surrounding area.

Did anyone in Conover see activity in the VIP Coin Laundry parking lot on the night of July 21 that could help investigators?