U.S. Marshals, NYPD Arrest Fugitive Wanted in May 7 SoHo Execution-Style Murder of 16-Year-Old Boy

New York, NY – At approximately 5:00 a.m. today, the U.S. Marshals (USMS) with the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Warrant Squad and USMS New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJRFTF), along with the New York Police Department (NYPD), arrested a man wanted for a May 7 murder in SoHo.  

Henry Thomas, 19, is alleged to have committed the execution-style murder of Mahki Brown, 16, of Brooklyn, who was leaving school just before 2:30 p.m. on Spring Street between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue in SoHo.

The shooting allegedly started when a dispute erupted between Brown and a small group of individuals who intercepted him while riding Citi bikes as he was leaving school. During the dispute, Thomas allegedly brandished a gun, firing multiple rounds at Brown, shooting him in the back of the head and twice in the leg before the group fled on the Citi bikes. The boy was rushed to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

After the crime was reported on May 8 the case was rapidly adopted by the USMS SDNY Warrant Squad, working closely with the NYPD.

Investigators developed information that led them to an apartment complex in the Upper East side of Manhattan where Thomas was identified, apprehended and turned over to the 32nd Precinct NYPD detective squad for further questioning and processing.  The search for his accomplice is continuing. 

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact law enforcement.  Tips may also submitted to NYPD Crime Stoppers 800-577-TIPS.

“The USMS RFTF, SDNY Warrant Squad and the NYPD worked relentlessly to find the shooter of this senseless execution of a 16-year-old,” said Ralph Sozio, the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York. “We are committed to use all of our collective law enforcement resources against anyone committing these acts of violence in our city and bring them to justice.”  

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that has allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended over 95,000 fugitives since inception.