Man charged in fatal Moorhead shooting captured in Michigan

MOORHEAD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 35-year-old man is accused of murder in a shooting in Moorhead on Sunday, and was captured Monday after fleeing to Michigan, according to charges filed in Clay County Court.

Jerome Anthony Thomas III is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and another count of second-degree attempted murder in connection with the incident.

What happened

What we know:

According to the charges, Moorhead police were called at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday to the 2700 block of 14th Street South on a report of gunshots. When officers arrived, they found a man lying in the driveway with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The complaint states video surveillance shows the victim, now identified as 39-year-old James Earl Hamilton, and a child in the driveway when a green Chevrolet Trax with a temporary license plate out of Indiana drove by, and three gunshots are heard. The vehicle then leaves the area, and another gunshot is heard a short time later. The juvenile told authorities the gunshots came from the driver, later identified as Thomas.

The complaint states the victim’s girlfriend, identified as Abby Fredrickson, was in a parked car down the street and drove the victim and the juvenile to the house where the shooting occurred. She didn’t stay due to an order prohibiting her from having contact with the resident. She said she has known Thomas III for 10 years, and he drove up to her vehicle, got out and hit the driver’s side window with his fist. Thomas fired a gunshot at her before getting back in the green vehicle and leaving the scene.

Capturing Thomas

What they're saying:

The complaint states the green SUV Thomas III was driving was registered to Fredrickson. She denied being with him and said the last time she saw him was 11 p.m. on April 12. She said her car was at her residence at 11 a.m. on the day of the shooting, and she told police she was more than four hours away. She would contact authorities when she returned.

The complaint states police tracked the SUV via OnStar, and it was in rural Michigan, as was Fredrickson's phone. Thomas’s phone was tracked to the Duluth area.

The complaint states authorities searched Fredrickson’s home, and neighbors told them Thomas was living with her. During the search, authorities located a red sweatshirt belonging to Thomas, an empty gun box and ammunition that matched bullets used in the shooting. There were indications they left the house suddenly, as food was in the microwave and the door was unlocked. They were both arrested in Marquette County, Mich., on Monday. Fredrickson is charged with second-degree aiding an offender of intentional murder.