On Nov. 22, 2017, Franklin Penn Jr. and 11-year-old Trinity Moses Thomas were shot to death while driving down a public road in West End.
A year later, detectives still have more questions than answers about the double murder.
“We have spoken to several persons and have pursued several lines of inquiry and there appears to be no clear motive for the murders,” said Lead Detective Inspector Joe Goff, who has previously said that the two victims were likely not the intended targets. “We have families still so broken and unable to make sense of what
has happened. My hope is that a member of the public would point us in the right direction or at least help us to connect the dots.”
Police said a $100,000 reward, which was approved by the National Security Council earlier this year, is still available to anyone with information that leads to the identity of the person, or people, involved in the murder.
A portion of the reward money also may be given to someone with information deemed valuable to the investigation.
Shooting
On the night of last year’s fatal shooting, Trinity was a backseat passenger in a vehicle Mr. Penn was driving. At about 9:30 p.m., at least two scooter riders drove up and opened fire, according to police.
Another woman in the vehicle, later identified as Trinity’s mother, was also shot but survived the attack.
The assailants used a large, high-powered automatic weapon that “would be very hard to conceal,” police have said.
Detectives are again asking for information about any scooter riders in the West End area who were acting “suspiCiously or particularly quarrelsome or angry” on the night of the killings.
“Any information that can assist in this murder investigation would be welcomed,” the release states.
Residents with information are asked contact Mr. Goff directly at 368-9342 or the Major Crime Team at 368-5682.
“All information will be held in the strictest confidence,” the release added.