DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The manager of a Delhi Township vape shop was found guilty last week for his part in a burglary-turned-shooting that left a 16-year-old dead and another burglary suspect wounded, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers.
Powers said 29-year-old Tony Thacker was convicted on two counts of felonious assault with firearm specifications on Thursday. He was never charged with anything tied to the death of 16-year-old Travis Johnson, but he was charged with wounding one of the burglary suspects as they tried to flee in a car.
According to Powers, Thacker was living in the back of VIP Smoke Shop in Delhi when several suspects, many of whom were also arrested for the deadly burglary attempt, attempted to break into the store at around 1 a.m. on October 20, 2023.
Powers said Thacker came to the front of the store with a gun after the burglary suspects broke windows in the business to get inside and the reason he was charged was because he kept firing after the threat was over.
"Thacker brought a firearm to the front of the store and immediately began firing at the would-be burglars," said Powers. "Instead of ceasing the use of deadly force once the situation had been resolved, Thacker continued to fire at the retreating subjects even as they drove away, striking one of them in the car."
The person shot in the car was 19-year-old Amontae Carter, who was also later arrested. Carter was ultimately indicted on two counts of murder, two counts of burglary and one count of possession of criminal tools.
Besides Carter, police also arrested 18-year-old Messiah Hart for burglary and murder. Also arrested and charged was a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, who were all indicted on murder and burglary charges.
Thacker's attorney told WCPO in December that Thacker was the victim in this case and said he fired in self-defense.
“We can talk now about how you don't shoot somebody fleeing, and shooting somebody in the back, but we were not in his shoes or with his state of mind,” Goldberg said. “That night, his state of mind was 'I've got to protect myself.'”
Goldberg said Thacker remained inside the store while firing. Goldberg also said Thacker has been the victim of several burglaries in the past. A month before the October incident, Thacker was robbed by other perpetrators inside the store wearing masks, according to Goldberg.
Thacker is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26.
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