Erykah Thomas wiped a tear away as she remembers her father, Norman, a U.S. Army veteran who was shot and killed one year ago at River Oaks Mall in Calumet City.
“To have someone take my father from us is like having the rug pulled from underneath the whole family’s feet,” she said Friday on the stairs of the village's police station.
Thomas was gunned down on Nov. 16, 2022, while working security at a jewelry store in the mall. Calumet City police on Friday announced the arrest of two men - Maxx Walker and Frank Adkins, both 38 years old.
Calumet City Police Chief Kevin Kolosh credited his detectives and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force with putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
“Between analyzing evidence and getting additional evidence to conduct the interviews that led us to where we are at today, he said.
For Thomas’ family, which had been waiting a year for progress in the case, the news provided a small sense of relief.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Thomas’ wife, Syrall. “The detectives are doing a good job, and they have gotten someone right around the time of the anniversary so it’s a great feeling."
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Thomas’ family remembered him as a hard-working man who loved his relatives and tried to help everyone he met.
“He would give the shirt off his back,” said daughter, Erykah. “If you needed it and he had it...you had it.”
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Walker and Adkins were arrested on Monday and have since been charged with first-degree murder.
While they appreciate the arrests, Thomas' family said they are still waiting on the one thing they want the most.
"I just want justice to be served," Syrall Thomas said. "I mean, that's what our family deserves."
