Announcements

Defendant Found Guilty of Attempted Murder
Convicted of 7 Charges

A jury has found 47-year-old Oneil Thomas guilty of seven felony counts, including Attempted Murder with a Deadly Weapon, Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, and Battery with a Deadly Weapon Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm.

Thomas was charged in connection to separate shooting and armed robbery incidents in Sparks back in December of 2022. Sparks Police Department officers initially responded to an armed robbery at the Chevron gas station on December 11^th at Victorian Avenue. The clerk told police that he had been cleaning when a man wearing a facemask and carrying an AR-15 rifle came into the store. According to the clerk, the man, later identified as Thomas, pointed the AR-15 at him and demanded money, ultimately fleeing the store with approximately $45 in cash. Officers attempted to find Thomas that evening but were unsuccessful.

The next day, SPD officers responded to reports of shots fired near Howard Drive and E. Prater Way. Officers discovered a 35-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, along with his vehicle that had been shot. The victim told police that he had been in a shop when he noticed a man he did not know, again later identified as Thomas, watching him. After the victim got back into his car and began driving away, Thomas shot at him 13 times with the AR-15 rifle, striking him twice. The man sustained numerous injuries, including gunshot wounds to the back and leg 

During trial, Deputy District Attorney Matt Merrill presented the victims' testimony, video surveillance from both crime scenes, forensics, and other evidence in connection to these incidents.

Sentencing is set for December 11^th - one year to the day from the robbery - with the Honorable Judge Kathleen Sigurdson presiding.