A man from St. Louis was arrested on Tuesday after a video surfaced on social media showing him casually loading a handgun and executing a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk in broad daylight. The accused named Deshawn Thomas, 23 was arrested in the connection of murder but has yet to be charged, police told New York Post.
The video shows the accused struggling to load his gun as he stands behind the homeless man. Moments later, he shot the yet-to-be-identified victim, who raised his arms at one point but couldn't run away.
In the video, a witness can be heard saying, "Oh my god. He just f-king killed him."
The incident happened in downtown St. Louis at around 10 a.m. "Any homicide is unnerving," Maj. Ryan Cousins told the St. Louis Dispatch at the scene, "but for this one to happen here, at this time, very much so."
According to NY Post, the victim had fended off Thomas at a Shell gas station just minutes before. The accused then chased him across the street and shot him.
The police informed the victim was likely in his 40s.
The video was shared on Twitter but was taken down due to graphic details.
The person who posted the video wrote, "Twitter took down this video I posted yesterday so I'll post it again," adding, "Doesn't show the murder on camera so stop censoring it."
Thomas was taken into custody by police at a local library after fleeing the scene.
