Watch CBS News

Police: Man Whose Drug-Related Prison Sentence Commuted By Obama 'Executed' By Gunman In Michigan

SAGINAW, Mich. (CBS/AP) — Police say a man whose drug-related prison sentence was commuted in November by President Barack Obama has been fatally shot at a federal halfway house in Michigan.

State police say two men wearing masks and carrying assault-style rifles went into the house Monday night with plans to kill 31-year-old Damarlon Thomas, a former Saginaw gang member.

Lt. David Kaiser says Thomas was shot several times by one man as the other held some of the roughly two dozen people at the home at gunpoint. Kaiser tells The Saginaw News that Thomas was "executed." WSGW-AM says Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene.

"One person watched over a group of them while another subject located the victim and executed him," Kaiser told The Saginaw News. "They were looking for this person."

Thomas had been sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2008 on a cocaine charge, but with the commutation the sentence was to expire in March.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.