On November 25, 2016, a Thanksgiving celebration in Manassas, Virginia, ended with Jose Tomas Velasquez shot twice in the abdomen as he was leaving the gathering. He was taken to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Manassas City Police Chief Douglas W. Keen described Velasquez as a hard worker who contributed to the community and was well known.

Investigators linked a vehicle to the shooting and to a separate crime in Culpeper, Virginia, a connection that helped identify those involved. Within a week three suspects were arrested: 18-year-old Daiquan Lamar Thompson of Centreville, charged with second-degree murder; 18-year-old Desmond Cordell Woodson of Manassas Park, also charged with second-degree murder; and 21-year-old Bobby Lewis Thomas of Manassas, charged with being an accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Police said Velasquez had a confrontation with two of the three men before they fled in a vehicle.

If anyone at that Thanksgiving gathering or in the Manassas area that night has information, please come forward.