Terrill J. Thomas Credit: Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office

SHARE

By of the

The man police say opened fire in the Potawatomi casino hours after shooting a man in the chest on Milwaukee's north side was found dead in his jail cell early Sunday.

Terrill J. Thomas, 38, of Milwaukee was pronounced dead at 1:57 a.m. at the Milwaukee County Jail. There were no visible signs of trauma, according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Thomas was accused of firing a Glock 9 mm handgun in the High Roller area of Potawatomi casino around 3:30 a.m. on April 15. He ordered customers to the floor and began grabbing poker chips before a Milwaukee police officer confronted him and ordered Thomas to drop his weapon, according to court records.

After dropping his handgun in a garbage can, Thomas surrendered to police and told them he opened fire because suspicious people, whom he called “snakes,” were inside the casino.

Thomas was charged last week with five counts, including first-degree reckless injury and possession of a firearm by a felon for shooting a man on N. 36th St. after confronting two men he believed had stolen his Mercedes-Benz. Thomas shot at the suspected car thief and struck the man’s companion in the chest.

When he appeared in court last week, his defense attorney told the judge Thomas may not have been mentally competent to proceed for further court hearings, and a competency exam was ordered and was supposed to be done by May 11.

A correctional officer discovered Thomas unresponsive and not breathing in his cell around 1:30 a.m. Correctional officers and jail nursing staff members started CPR until emergency medical officials arrived. But Thomas was pronounced dead less than half an hour later.

Milwaukee police will investigate Thomas’ death, and an autopsy will be performed by the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office.