Houston crime: Man sentenced to 50 years behind bars for shooting stranger 15 times at Greenspoint gas station
Elijah Malik Kaluanya
HOUSTON - A Houston man will spend the next 50 years behind bars for killing a stranger in a mid-morning fight in a gas station parking lot in 2021, officials said.
Elijah Malik Kaluanya, 27, was convicted of murdering 34-year-old Demrick Thomas by a Harris County jury after a four-day trial last week. After being convicted, Kaluanya opted to have state District Judge Andrea Beall decide punishment, and she sentenced him to 50 years.
SUGGESTED: Kidnapped teen escapes after being held captive in Humble home for a month
The deadly shooting occurred when Kaluanya went to a convenience store in a white Mercedes-Benz sedan in the 12800 block of Northborough, near Greenspoint in north Houston on September 14, 2021, officials stated.
Thomas then drove up about a half-hour later and parked next to Kaluanya.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE
After Thomas got out of his vehicle, Kaluanya confronted him because Kaluanya thought Thomas had "dinged" the door of his Mercedes.
The two men argued, and then Kaluanya pulled a handgun and shot Thomas 15 times. Kaluanya left the store and continued to run errands, including going to an auto-parts store to buy an alternator for his car.
Thomas was transported to the hospital, where he died from his wounds.
Homicide detectives from the Houston Police Department pulled surveillance video from the store, which showed the entire incident. The video showed that Thomas did not ding Kaluanya’s car. Houston police officers were able to identify Kaluanya and arrest him.