You are reading

Far Rockaway Man Charged for 2020 Fatal Shooting, Picked Up by Pennsylvanian Cops After Fleeing State

Tyrell Thomas, 31, accused of fatally shooting Eric Thomas in Far Rockaway in 2020 (NYPD)

June 27, 2021 By Ryan Songalia

A Queens man wanted on murder charges was arraigned Tuesday after being extradited from Pennsylvania.

Tyrell Dennis, 31, of Far Rockaway was arraigned on a four-count indictment, including second degree murder, second degree criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing in the second degree. If convicted, Dennis faces 25 years to life in prison.

Dennis is accused of shooting Eric Thomas, a 35-year-old father of two, once in the chest at around 6:30 a.m. Aug. 1, 2020.

According to the charges, Thomas was talking to another person in the first floor hallway of his apartment building on Dix Avenue in Far Rockaway when Dennis approached him and shot him. Thomas was declared dead at a local hospital soon after.

Dennis, who lived less than a mile away from the crime scene, was identified as the suspect a day after the fatal shooting but police were unable to locate him.

Dennis was found by authorities in Pennsylvania after he assaulted a state trooper, reported the The Daily News. The trooper had pulled him over for driving under the influence.

“The accused allegedly fled the state in the hope of evading justice but has been brought back to Queens to face the consequences of this senseless gun violence,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement.

Dennis is due back in court on August 10.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
Sara Ross

These murderers are cowards because they destroy peoples lives and then run away like scaredy cats. Once they’re brought back to NY, there should be no bail and plenty of jail time – in solitary.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Op-Ed | Hochul: Action is Imperative on Shoplifting, but Violent Crime is Just Fine

Apr. 29, 2024 By Council Member James F. Gennaro

Negotiations regarding the New York State budget have just concluded a few days ago and a budget has passed after more than two weeks of delays. But while Gov. Kathy Hochul has proclaimed this year’s ‘bold agenda’ aims to make New York ‘safer,’ there hasn’t been so much as a whisper about the safety issue New Yorkers actually care about – New York States’s dangerous bail reform laws and the State’s absence of a ‘dangerousness standard,’ which would allow judges to detain without bail those defendants that pose a present a clear and present danger to our communities. (The 49 other states and the federal government have a dangerousness standard. NY State is the only state that lacks this essential protection from the State’s most dangerous offenders.)

After crackdown on street vendors, CM Moya announces return of multi-agency Roosevelt Avenue Task Force

Council Member Francisco Moya led a walk-through along Roosevelt Avenue in Corona with representatives from nearly a dozen city agencies to point out quality-of-life issues that have affected residents and business owners for too long, including the proliferation of massage parlors, unregulated street vending and uncleanliness.

Following the tour, Moya announced he is re-establishing the Roosevelt Avenue Task Force, a multi-agency effort to tackle pressing concerns that was initially created in 1991 but has faltered in recent years.