Baltimore prosecutors made a significant breakthrough on Wednesday as they announced the arrest of a man in connection with the cold case homicide of an off-duty Washington, D.C., police officer back in 2017.
Sgt. Tony Anthony Mason Jr., an officer, was fatally shot while he was sitting in a parked car with a woman he had been dating. The police report states that the woman was also shot in the incident but managed to survive.
After five years of remaining unsolved, the case took a new turn in early 2023 when detectives received a crucial tip. This tip reinvigorated their investigation and eventually resulted in charges being filed against Dion Thompson, who is now 24 years old. The prosecutors announced this development in a news release on Wednesday. It is worth noting that Thompson was just 18 years old at the time of the shooting. Currently, he is serving time in a federal prison for unrelated drug and gun charges.
According to Thompson’s attorney, he is not representing him in the murder case. It should be noted that the murder case is not yet listed in online records.
The charging documents concerning the 2017 shooting lack a clear statement of motive and primarily rely on the testimony of an individual who had knowledge of Thompson but did not witness the crime firsthand. According to this person, Thompson confessed to shooting at a parked car because he felt threatened after leaving his friend’s grandmother’s house. He became paranoid upon noticing an unfamiliar vehicle and assumed that the occupants intended to either rob him or seek revenge for his alleged involvement in other robberies.
According to the witness, Thompson discovered through news reports that the individual who had been shot was an off-duty police officer. Subsequently, prosecutors claim that Thompson drove to Philadelphia with the intention of disposing of the vehicle he had been using on the night of the incident.
According to court documents cited by CBS affiliate WUSA-TV, Thompson was identified as the leader of a gang known as “The Slickest Ones” or TSO.
Mason, a 17-year veteran of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, tragically lost his life at the age of 40. CBS Baltimore reported that a reward of $20,000 was offered following his untimely death.
During the attack, detectives observed that he did not have any weapons and was not wearing any clothing that would indicate he was a law enforcement officer. They conducted thorough background checks on both Mason and his companion, but found no evidence of criminal or gang involvement.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith expressed that the circumstances surrounding Sergeant Mason’s untimely demise have been shrouded in sorrowful uncertainty for an extended period. She acknowledged that the anguish of the loss and the recollection of that fateful day cannot be erased. However, she found solace in the knowledge that the individual accountable for the tragedy is now being held accountable and brought to justice.
The new cold case unit of Baltimore State’s Attorney’s office is set to bring its first prosecution, according to State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.
