On the evening of January 26, 1994, 47-year-old Dan Merton Thomas was shot and killed during a home invasion at 6316 N. Williams Avenue. At about 6:30 p.m. an unknown armed man knocked, forced entry after Thomas’s wife answered, and Thomas confronted the intruder. The confrontation ended when the intruder shot Thomas and fled.

Witnesses said a group of young African-American males had been seen walking near the house minutes before the shot, and the shooter was described as a young African-American teenager. Police later found a small marijuana grow in the basement and learned Thomas had occasionally sold some of what he grew, leading investigators to view robbery as a likely motive. No suspect has been identified or arrested and the case is now cold.

Anyone with memories of that evening, who knew Thomas, or who has information about individuals seen near North Williams Avenue that night is asked to come forward.