“Questions are still unanswered”: Polk County mother mourns her son killed by gunfire

LAKE WALES, Fla. (WFLA) – Hundreds gathered Wednesday to honor the life of Vincent Thomas Jr. as investigators try to determine if the man who shot him acted in self-defense.

“If you had been in the hospital last night, you would have seen that it was packed from wall to wall,” said Thomas’ mother Chiara Bien-Aime. “At the end of the day, we will all miss him.”

“I just want my son to know that I love him,” she said. “We’re not going to stop until we get to the bottom of this.”

To find out exactly how her son was killed.

Officials said Thomas and three of his friends showed up at the 20-year-old shooter’s home around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Then, investigators said, Thomas got out of the car, pulled out a gun and threatened to use it.

“When we got there, it was pretty chaotic,” said Carrie Horstman, a spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. “There was this guy who said, ‘Hey, that guy was trying to kill me, so I shot him.'”

“The victim did not call 911,” she said. “His friends did not call 911.”

The question now is whether the investigators’ claim that the shooter was acting in self-defense is a case of self-defense.

“From now on, we have to determine whether he shot Mr. Thomas in self-defense,” Horstman said. “That is something we will discuss with the prosecutor to decide whether or not to charge this man.”

It’s a decision that leaves those who loved Thomas without answers.

“Sometimes I can’t even answer half of the questions my children ask me because it’s so hard,” Bien-Aime said. “It’s hard because the questions are still unanswered.”

Investigators said two of Thomas’ friends were arrested for lying to police and tampering with evidence.

Now the public prosecutor must decide whether the shooter will be charged with Thomas’ death.