When the shooting started, Michael Thomas tried to take cover.
The gunfire outside a Scotland Avenue convenience store was between two other men, and Thomas was a bystander, Baton Rouge police believe. But as one of the shooters fled, spraying bullets as he ran, he turned his aim on Thomas, hitting him in the back.
Thomas was taken to a hospital, but didn't make it.
Meanwhile, another stray bullet pierced a nearby apartment complex, wounding a 51-year-old woman, police said.
She was in bed, asleep — with her twin children. The mother survived; the twins fortunately were not hurt, police say.
The chaotic shooting rocked Kings Estates, a neighborhood a half-mile away from where Thomas, 51, lived.
A longtime neighbor, who did not want to be named due to the nature of the situation, said the slain man was the youngest of six siblings and had a son. He was well-known in the tight-knit community, often seen hanging around making jokes.
“He was like the neighborhood comedian; he would always say something to make you laugh,” the neighbor said.
He remembers playing basketball with Thomas, who he said would cut grass for elderly neighbors and cut neighbors' hair. He remembers how Thomas called everyone "Captain," and that's what everyone called him back — to the point where some didn't know his real name.
"If he could help you, he would," the neighbor said.
A chaotic shooting
According to arrest documents, the shootout started just after midnight on April 22 after a white 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 backed into the Kangaroo Express parking lot at 12390 Scotland Ave. An unidentified assailant shot at the Mercedes-Benz, and a person in the car's rear passenger seat, identified as Alvin Mott Jr., 27, returned fire.
Mott fired shots from inside the car, then exited the vehicle and ran away from the assailant, police said. While he was retreating, he saw Thomas taking cover behind a vehicle parked several spaces away.
"[Mott] intentionally shoots [Thomas] in the back, and continues to fire aimlessly in the direction of the initial shooting," arrest documents say.
Thomas was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives believe Mott may have thought Thomas was involved in the shooting, a spokesman said.
Mott was arrested for Thomas' slaying Tuesday after a four-hour standoff in Baker. According to Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn, the standoff in the 400 block of Day Drive started when U.S. Marshals were serving Mott with an arrest warrant for the shooting, and it lasted from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Mott, of Baton Rouge, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and illegal use a firearm.
As of Thursday afternoon, police are still looking for the unidentified assailant.
A neighborhood like a family
The friend recalled Thomas as a staple in Kings Estates. He said Thomas would always go out of his way to be a good neighbor, including caring for the older residents in the community.
Now, he thinks the neighborhood will never be the same.
The neighbor said he had spoken with Thomas the Saturday before the shooting. He said Kings Estates residents are like a “family” — in the tight-knit neighborhood, everybody knows everybody.
Thomas would help older neighbors with various errands, including fixing their flower bed, and he often helped neighbors with their lawns and other tasks.
The neighbor said Thomas’ house was one of the first to be built in the neighborhood. Thomas lived in Kings Estates with family, but his brother died in 2022 and his mom died a few months ago.
“He was a person of the community,” the neighbor said. “He didn’t mind helping nobody.”