Roosevelt Thompson, 54, was found with apparent gunshot wounds and pronounced dead just before 1:30 a.m. on November 20, 2019, on the 700 block of Mable Street near Cobb Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Officers with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a man down in the road and could not revive him.

Investigators identified Michael Anthony Thigpen, 31, as a suspect and arrested him. Thigpen was charged with open murder, two counts of felony firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the case, Thigpen had been involved with two women; one learned of the other and ended their relationship. On November 19, 2019, Thigpen allegedly called that former girlfriend, said he would kill the first person he saw, and she later heard gunshots over the phone. He reportedly confessed to the killing afterward, showed the woman a gun and asked her to dispose of it; she refused and contacted police after seeing a news report.

At trial Thigpen admitted the shooting but claimed self-defense; jurors rejected that account and convicted him of first-degree murder and the firearm and possession counts. Anyone who knew Roosevelt Thompson or has information about his death is asked to come forward.