On the morning of August 3, 2023, 40-year-old Amber Jo Thomas was fatally shot in Saline, Michigan. Thomas was on a break from her job at Linden Square Assisted Living Facility and walking to her car in a nearby parking lot with a male acquaintance when her ex-boyfriend, 58-year-old Barry Garza, allegedly opened fire. Thomas was shot in the neck and died at a local hospital; the male acquaintance was also shot and reported to be in stable condition. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide.

Garza fled the scene in a tan Ford Focus and was later involved in a head-on collision at South Ann Arbor and Willis Roads. A Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputy responding to the shooting found the crash; Garza was reportedly uncooperative and was tased before being taken into custody. The attack occurred six days after Thomas had been granted a personal protection order against Garza that had not yet been served; in her application she described a nine-year relationship that included physical and verbal abuse and said he had threatened to kill her on several occasions.

Barry Lee Garza of Adrian was arraigned on charges including open murder, assault with intent to murder for the injured colleague, and felony firearm; a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was ordered held without bond. Anyone who knew Amber or has information about the shooting is asked to come forward.