On the evening of Saturday, January 6, 2024, 36-year-old Jamel De’onte Thomas of Hopewell was found dead inside a vehicle that had stopped along Addison Way in Petersburg, Virginia. Authorities say his death was the result of gun violence. Born November 10, 1987, in Richmond, Thomas graduated from the Hopewell public schools and is survived by family and friends who described his passing as sudden and shocking.

The Petersburg Bureau of Police opened a homicide investigation and detectives have been working to determine a motive and identify those responsible. No information about suspects or arrests has been released. If anyone has information about Thomas’s death or the events on Addison Way that evening, please contact the Petersburg Bureau of Police.