Man charged with homicide in 2016 Snowden Terrace shooting
A Republic man was arraigned Wednesday morning on homicide charges for a 2016 shooting in Snowden Terrace.
O’Shea Carrington Thomas, 24, of 32 Rollie St. was the second person to be charged with killing 28-year-old Taekwon D. “Derrick Taylor” Commodore of Republic on July 5, 2016.
A criminal homicide charge filed against Jamal D. Brown, 21, of Brownsville was withdrawn Nov. 23. Brown spent 4 1/2 months in Fayette County Prison without bond before the charge was withdrawn. He asserted his innocence at a preliminary hearing, and the victim’s family said repeatedly they believed the wrong man was behind bars. Brown is awaiting trial on aggravated assault and related charges in the case.
Thomas now stands accused of firing the fatal shot at Commodore during an argument.
State police and Brownsville police were called to 407 Clover St. just after midnight July 5, 2016, for a report of a burglary. They found no evidence that such a crime had occurred.
After police left, an argument broke out between Commodore, Thomas and three other people. “The argument escalated when gunfire erupted,” and the four people ran down an embankment, police wrote in court documents.
Thomas allegedly fired a pistol at the group of fleeing people. Commodore was hit once in the back near his shoulder. He was driven to the Brownsville police station in a personal vehicle at about 12:50 a.m., then transported by ambulance to Uniontown Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation conducted by the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Trooper Joseph Timms concluded Thomas pulled the trigger.
He is charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with physical evidence.
He was arraigned at 10 a.m. Wednesday before Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino Jr., who denied bail in the case.
Thomas’ preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16 before Defino.
He was arrested July 18 following a Fayette County Adult Probation compliance check at a McClain Street residence May 25 where officers allegedly found a stolen gun, drugs packaged for delivery, face masks, stolen vehicles and other items.
Thomas is prohibited from possessing a firearm after a previous robbery conviction, court documents show.
Commodore was an aspiring hip-hop artist, according to an online profile. He wrote that his inspiration for music spurred from run-ins with the law early in life. He said he wanted to turn his life around after his grandma died while he was in jail. He began using the name Derrick Taylor after her death, using his middle name and his grandmother’s last name, according to the profile.
“I was only 22 years old once I realized that you only live once,” he wrote. “…Once to complete your dreams. You only get one chance at life.”