Update: Thomas received bond of $500,000 for murder and $10,000 for leaving the scene.
JPD issued the following statement.
On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at approximately 11:14 am, 21-year-old Kaitlyn Mangum-Gast and a 36-year-old male were riding on one bicycle in the 4800 block of Chastain Drive when a white pickup truck driven by 57-year-old Shannon Thomas crashed into them.
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| Shannon Thomas |



44 comments:
Police say this was intentional? Was it race related? Why would someone hit an innocent girl on a bicycle
Was it race related?
Doesn’t really matter if it was. The attacker and victim are the wrong race for that to be factored in. Seriously, when was the last time a black murdered a white in Jackson and it was considered a hate crime? Do you remember the capitol nooses? Why do you think no hate crime charges were filed?
Is this going to get as much attention as the white racist that killed the black guy with his truck?
Sounds like a hate crime to me. Justice department needs to investigate
Im wondering who the unnamed 36 year old man was? The world is full of crazies, race has no mignon over that category anymore. Sad deal for all involved, especially those in the cylinder.
Yes, 5:42 I DO REMEMBER the "capitol nooses" - a scam that was an attempt to create a racial issue but it proved to be the opposite. There were no 'hate crimes charges' filed because there was no 'hate crime' involved. After investigation, it was found that those that 'hung' the nooses were those that wanted them to be seen as a hate crime. Evidently it worked with you or else you just choose to continue the rhetoric you like rather than deal with truth.
OMG, during this tragic news ... the trolls emerge from their caves.
(But that's the first commandment in their "how to respond" manual).
Intentional = hate crime. Charged as such? Hell no! Not in Jacktown baby!
March 6, 2026 at 5:42 PM
>Doesn’t really matter if it was.
Yes it fucking does. If Deryl Dedmon can kill a black man and get life sentences for being a racist than so can this so called "man".
Lol. No. It wouldn't fit the Message with the mainstream media.
I’m sure his insurance will cover the funeral expenses.
This looks like a hate crime. I hope that Ben Crump shows up to protest and demand justice for this young lady.
Not to throw shade, but that looks like a sketchy area for someone who doesn't live there to be riding a bicycle.
The legislature is in session, might be why there is no ID on the male…
What is wrong with y’all?
I have so many questions…
Apparently, this guy has a history of mental issues.
Why does everything have to be racial with some people?
Say her name !
Riding a bike enjoying the weather & day is something 99% of us need to be doing for our health. I hope this man is prosecuted to the fullest extend possible.
He’ll walk.
Dedmon deserves every day he gets in prison.
Hang on - ONE bike? So, this sweet yound thing and her older friend were either on a bicycle built for two, she was on the handlebars like some grade-school hijinks, or..., in an area not commonly known for such mirth and merriment, when a dude who does look like he'd be commonly found in said area, mows the happy couple down. If there is not more - a lot more - to this story, it's only because someone ain't tellin' it.
And so does Shannon Thomas.
Both of them.
Too many incidents like this are blamed on "mental issues." Woman killed on a train in NC, woman killed in a bookstore in FL, woman set on fire on a train in Chicago...
Mental illness doesn't excuse this behavior. There would be loud calls for hate crime prosecution if the races were reversed.
9:19 - Pretty tired of this sort of thing being dismissesd due to mental issues. We're all struggling mentally on some level in this day and age. What he did ain't okay and the mental-illness play is getting pretty fucking worn out.
No one implied otherwise
9:19.10:09, I never suggested mental illness is an excuse. People with mental illness get sentenced to prison all the time.
I just said there may be something other than a race-based motive for this crime. Get over yourself.
There was a day in Journalism when a cub reporter with a pad and pen would sally forth to the crime scene and ask who what when where and why, then the paper would report back to us. I miss those days but am thankful for JJ getting the release out to us.
This vermin needs to be lowered low and slow straight into the woodchipper.
Who are these new commenters JJ got in the past couple years that seem to barely know Jackson?
What's with the wormy posters who suggest 'she was somewhere she had no bidness being'? Bullshit! She's also very attractive, so let's figure out a way to make it her fault.
Forget eliminating state income taxes and college athlete earnings tax relief, and use the funds to create a network of mental institutions to get the mentally challenged off the streets. This would be 1) a fulfillment of a commitment made when the federal government abandoned them, 2) increased safety and enjoyment of public spaces by the tax paying public, and 3) the administration of mental healthcare for those in need.
great points. By our work is a troubled man that is not well. I am supposed to tell customers; employees ignore him if he is laying on sidewalk or elevator. We are told he wouldn't hurt a fly. What happens if he snaps one day. Why should my customers have to worry about that. just asking. Also, Up and down frontage road they walk around lay down and walk around the frontage road like its a park. Then somebody gets hit. Ive already seen someone get hit years ago that thought he could run across 55, it was horrible. There has to be a better answer
If I was her Father and I found out she was hit on Purpose by a mentally ill individual, I don't know what I would do. Its just sad
If they are too mentally ill too be accountable for their actions then they need to be off the streets
It is very possible that he is not mentally ill but still did it on purpose. There is a lot of evil in this world, and now many believe they will get minimal punishment for their evil deeds.
Does unidentified actually mean well known?
Intentionally running someone over with a vehicle is absolutely caused by mental illness -- whether temporary or permanent. Look at his eyes, he’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes.
9:19, I agree with 9:36. Too many crimes are being blamed on mental illness. These people belong locked up from law abiding citizens. Would you feel the same if that was your daughter or wife?
Seems to happen a lot, though, doesn’t it? White on black, it’s a hate crime; black on white, it’s mental issues. That’s the media’s perpetual narrative. Censor it if you must to keep your gig, but it is what it is.
This man looks like a pimp.
Don't let this story die, who is the 36 year old man? There is a reason he is not identified.
It appears the perp knew the victim and had an argument with her and possibly her mother a few weeks prior to the incident. The perp left the roadway and ran up on the grass to run over her and the guy. The perp supposedly has PTSD and is a known drug dealer.
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