COCOA, Fla. — The family of a murdered Cocoa man isn’t giving up on finding out who pulled the trigger.
Wednesday marks four years since the shooting that changed their lives.
Jonte Thomas fought for five months before finally dying from his injuries.
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Thomas’ murder is still unsolved, and investigators believe he may not have even been the intended target.
“I was very angry. I was hurting,” his widow, Monique Thomas, said. “My heart was ripped out my chest, and I don’t want to rely on that anymore when I know God is the answer, and learn to not question him, and know that his is the answer.”
Monique Thomas and her family are still hoping for some semblance of closure.
During the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2016, Jonte Thomas was driving a white Chevy Impala with two friends. They were on their way home from celebrating Cocoa High School’s state football championship victory.
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As Jonte Thomas drove north on Fiske Boulevard and turned left onto Mitchell Street, gunshots rang out.
Jonte Thomas was hit, and his passenger in the front seat attempted to help before two more shots were fired.
A surveillance camera captured images of what appeared to be a white Nissan Altima or Maxima driving away from the scene.
“I just want to know the why and the who,” Jonte Thomas’ mother, Anita Gibson, said. “Justice is bittersweet because Jonte’s death is a memory that’s going to last with me until I die.”
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Gibson is now an active member of the Brevard County chapter of Moms Demand Action. She’s found support and provides comfort to others who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence.
“I truly do thank God for making it this far, and I would like to thank my family and friends for all of your support back then and even right now. It means so much,” Gibson said.
Cox Media Group
