Two teen are accused of the murder.
FLINT -- A retired Genesee County Sheriff’s Lieutenant is dead after being gunned down in his home.
Seventy-six year old Lonnie Thomas was shot and killed Saturday. The Genesee County Prosecutor says two teens were stealing a window air conditioner unit from his house, when Thomas entered. The suspects then allegedly shot Thomas several times in the head, and got away with money, guns and Thomas' truck.
Friends and family became worried when they couldn't get ahold of him the next day, so they went to his house to check on him. When they arrived, they found his body on the couch with blood and a cloth covering his face.
Tuesday, 17-year-old Ryan Scott Deville of Mt. Morris Township and 18-year-old Aaron Antwaun Robinson of Flint were charged with several counts of homicide, and various home invastion / theft felonies.
"In this situation, the tragedy seems even more pronounced given that Lonnie Thomas was a retired law enforcment officer who had served his community in his younger years and was simply trying to live out his life in a peaceful manner," Prosecutor David Leyton states.
Thomas was promoted to Lieutenant in 1980 and was the first African American to hold that position in Genesee County. In the 1970s he was one of the first African-Americans to hold a supervisor position. Former Genesee County Sheriff Joe Wilson spoke with NBC 25 and described Thomas as a “pioneer” who put others first, “he always had a grin on his face”.
