Jury Convicts KC Man of Armed Robbery Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of his role in a three-months-long conspiracy that included at least 27 armed robberies, culminating in the armed robbery of a Walgreens in Blue Springs, Mo., in which a suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.

Shannon R. Thomas, 28, was found guilty of participating in the conspiracy as well as participating in ten armed robberies. He was also found guilty of ten counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Thomas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 years in federal prison without parole. 

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Thomas and co-conspirators robbed 27 businesses in Blue Springs, Independence, North Kansas City, Raytown, Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., at gunpoint from Jan. 2 to March 24, 2016. In addition to the armed robberies charged in the indictment, evidence was introduced during the trial of other, uncharged robberies that were committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. Victim businesses included convenience stores, pharmacies, and other businesses.

The robberies followed a similar pattern: Two or three conspirators entered the business armed with handguns, wearing gloves, hoodies, and/or masks. The hoodies were drawn tightly over their faces to obscure their features. The employees were forced at gunpoint to hand over money from the cash register and the safe. The thieves wore the same hoodies in nearly all the robberies; Thomas wore a blue Kansas City Royals hoodie for the majority of the robberies he committed.

The spree of robberies culminated on March 24, 2016. Thomas, along with co-defendant Deonte J. Collins-Abbott, 24, of Grandview, Mo., and Jermon Seals of Shawnee, Kan., robbed the Walgreens at 7 Highway and Duncan in Blue Springs. Thomas placed a Springfield Armory .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol to the back of an employee’s head and took money from the front register. Collins-Abbott and Seals went over the pharmacy counter and took prescription grade cough syrup at gunpoint from the pharmacist. They left the business but were confronted by law enforcement officers as they were walking back to the vehicle. They failed to comply with the officers’ commands; Seals turned towards the officers, pointing a gun in their direction. Officers returned fire and Seals was fatally struck in the exchange. Thomas and Collins-Abbott were apprehended by officers after a short foot chase.

Collins-Abbott pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Collins-Abbott admitted that he committed eight armed robberies between Feb. 3, 2016, and March 24, 2016.

Co-defendants Kevin T. Thompson-Randell, 23, and Demetrius Nelson, 26, both of Kansas City, Mo.; and Parrise K. Black, also known as “Kilo,” 26, and Frank A. Garner, Jr., 25, both of Grandview, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately three hours before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Monday, May 6, 2019.

Under federal statutes, Thomas is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for participating in the conspiracy, and up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for each of the ten armed robberies. Thomas is also subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison without parole for each of the ten counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which must be served consecutively. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Caine and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the North Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.