Christina Kinser has childhood memories of playing “war” outside her grandmother’s Placentia home with her brother Kelly Thomas, a homeless man who was removed from life support after his arrest by Fullerton police turned violent.
“I was always the wounded one. Kelly would put a bandana around my knee and then he would carry me back to my Grandma’s house to hide me,” Kinser said. “Then he would go out to find my other brother Kevin.”
Christina, Kevin and Kelly Thomas at Kevin's house in Arizona in 2000.
As a teenager, Kelly Thomas – the oldest of three children – loved to play the guitar and was a protective big brother, who taught Kinser her “street smarts” and even how to be a girl, she said, admitting she was a tomboy in her youth.
“When he was learning to play ‘Hey, Jude,’ he told me I had to sing the words so he could get the right feel for the music,” Kinser said.
The Beatles tune was also played at his funeral services.
On July 5, Fullerton Police responded to calls about a man trying to break into cars in a parking lot next to the bus depot on the 100 block of South Pomona Avenue. According to Sgt. Andrew Goodrich, as officers tried to search Kelly Thomas, he ran and then began fighting them. Two police officers were also injured.
Although the coroner’s report has not determined an exact cause of death, an MRI confirmed that he suffered blunt trauma force to the head and from lack of oxygen to the brain, a result of his heart stopping three times on the way to the hospital. His family removed him from life support July 10, said his father, Ron Thomas.
Cathy and Kelly Thomas.
His mother, Cathy Thomas, remembers her son as always happy and “didn’t know a stranger.” When Kelly was a child, his father was in the military, so the family spent time in Germany, Washington, Alabama and Louisiana before putting down routes in Placentia, where Kelly Thomas attended Rio Vista and Morse elementary schools and El Camino Real High School. And ever since his parents divorced in 1982, Cathy Thomas said, he wanted to grow up to be a firefighter and buy her a house.
Kelly, Kevin and Christina Thomas.
At the age of 17, Kelly Thomas began exhibiting odd behavior and started living at friends’ houses, Ron Thomas said.
“He would do things, and I would think ‘well, that was strange,’ but I didn’t put a finger on it and label it mental illness because it was not fully developed at that point,” he said.
Around the age of 20, Kelly Thomas was put into a mental hospital for the first time, but he did not like being confined, so Ron Thomas moved him into a board and care home for the mentally ill. He was fine if he took medications consistently, but he told his mother they made him tired and gave him nightmares, Cathy Thomas said.
“Then he would stop taking his meds and he would leave the board and care houses and wander the streets,” she said.
In recent years, he was homeless, and frequented Downtown Fullerton, Yorba Linda and Placentia. Even though he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Kinser said he was a “quiet, gentle soul.”
“He didn’t bother anyone or shout at the sky,” Kinser said.
Twelve years ago, Kinser moved to Danville, Illinois, but she kept tabs on her brother through their mother. Contact with him was limited to her annual visits to California. When in town, Kinser knew she would find him sitting on a park bench near their grandmother’s house.
“I would put him in the car, and we’d get some food and drinks and hang out,” Kinser said.
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RELATED STORY: DEALING WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE FAMILY
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Although he moved between cities, Kelly Thomas would often show up unannounced at his mother’s and grandparents’ home to shower, eat, get cleaned up, and then he’d disappear again. If it was raining, he would sleep in the car parked in their driveway, Cathy Thomas said.
A 2009 Fullerton Police booking photo.
In December 2010, Kelly Thomas had been staying at their house for a few months. At the direction of the Placentia Police Department, Cathy Thomas filed a restraining order against her son so that he would be taken into custody for 72 hours. They told her it was the only way to get him help. Then, options for helping him could be determined, but the police never picked him up that day, Cathy Thomas said.
“It was a tough love move, I didn’t know what else to do. He was living on my parents’ porch so I was trying to get him help again,” she said. “The police did not pick him up that day. Instead they say he was old enough to be on his own and that he could make his own decisions, but I knew he needed help because he was not in his right mind. They said he had to become violent, but he was never violent.”
Kelly Thomas remained on the streets, becoming a fixture on the streets of Downtown Fullerton. He received citations for illegal camping and trespassing, Ron Thomas said, but Fullerton residents and business owners knew him, and his death saddened and angered many.
For some, though, Kelly Thomas’s presence downtown was a problem. “Most of my staff was very scared and intimidated by him. They were reluctant to ask him to move along,” said Jeremy Popoff, owner of the Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen. “Two or three days before [the arrest] he was bumming cigarettes, and the manager said to him ‘Kelly, you can’t do that here, you gotta move on.’ And Kelly screamed back at him ‘Don’t call me by my first name!’ ”
In the days following the arrest, Ron Thomas put up fliers with the hopes that anyone who was there the night his son was arrested would email video footage or photos of the incident. He did, in fact, receive video footage recorded on a cell phone by a Cal State Fullerton student who wished to remain anonymous. FullertonStories.com published the footage Friday.
Ron Thomas, second from right, with his children and grandchild.
Now Ron Thomas is searching for answers from the city and the police department, but has not received any since the police department asked the Orange County District Attorney to conduct an investigation. On July 21, he met with Detective Robert James, captains Kevin Hamilton and Alex Bastreri and Bruce Praet – from the Ferguson, Praet and Sherman law office – who asked if he would consider accepting an out-of-court settlement, rather than following through with a civil lawsuit against the city.
An offer was not put on the table, but according to Ron Thomas, Praet said that if he decided to continue with a civil suit, Praet’s job would be to degrade Kelly Thomas and his relationships with his family.
“According to him, if there is not much of a relationship, then there is not much of a loss,” Ron Thomas said. “And then he went on to be very derogatory.” FullertonStories.com was not able to confirm that an offer or settlement was discussed.
Accepting a settlement would not negate the criminal investigation, Ron Thomas said, adding that an offer would have to be large enough to create a foundation in his son’s name. Such a foundation would be dedicated to assisting the homeless in Fullerton and nearby cities with food and medications, he said.
In addition to the video footage, Ron Thomas also received several emails that expressed sympathy for Kelly Thomas and his family. Some of them are listed below.
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I have seen Kelly several times over the years at various places in Fullerton and Placentia. He was a very pleasant person. In all the times I had seen him, I never witnessed him being belligerent, aggressive or out of line. He was a homeless man that seemed content in keeping to himself and not bothering others. Myself and several other people would always ask how he was doing and if he was okay every time we saw him. If you ask around the community, there are several people that know him and have helped him over the years. — Ron McKee
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I walked over to him and asked if he was hungry. He was, and while I got him a Jack in the Box meal, I also felt the need to throw in a healthy salad and bottles of water for later. He very graciously shook my hand when I extended mine, and quietly thanked me. He was very sweet.
I saw Kelly a lot! Mostly at Albertsons, where I’d get him sandwiches and beverages, and often in the SAVI Ranch area, where I’d treat him to Costco pizza…and he was always so very quiet and polite. Whenever I saw him walking, I’d honk my horn and he would wave. Many times my son would be with me and he’d roll his window down and say “Hi Dan!” and he [Kelly] would smile his huge grin . . .I just wanted you to know that there are people out there who interacted with your son, who found comfort and kindness in being able to extend a hand and that perfect strangers were touched by his presence. — Linda Miller
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Heart-felt sorrow. I was heartbroken by the news of this awful crime and when telling my sister she said, ‘I wonder if that was my Hobo Kelly.’ She described him as gentle and a childlike man, who was very handsome and an easy spirit. — “Heart Broken”
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Dear Thomas Family,
I work at St. Martin de Porres Catholic church in Yorba Linda and we used to see Kelly around the parish during the summertime. We are all very sad and disturbed by his death. He has touched our hearts and we are wondering if you will be having any memorial services. We would like to show our support for your family and Kelly by attending. Please be assured of our prayers for all of you. – Pam Bender
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Hello…I just realized that I’ve seen him around the Fullerton Train/ Bus station since I’ve started taking this route to school…a few weeks ago he sat next to me on a bench and I asked if he was hungry. He looked at me shocked and I gave him all my granola bars I had in my bag. He never asked for a hand out, he never bothered anyone for money etc. Not sure if this info will help but Kelly was never a threat to even a traveling single woman. If you need me to do anything else I’m more than willing to help! I’m so sorry for your loss! –Meagan Senkbeil of Riverside, Ca.
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Story by Amy Dempsey/FullertonStories.com
Photos Courtesy of the Thomas Family Except Where Noted
Our hearts go out to dear Kelly and his struggle to live, and to his family who tried to get him help. We have a brain impaired relative and our experience in getting help was a nighmare beyond belief. I hope an autopsy was done on Kelly to determine if he had an inherited chromsome disorder that has come to light around the world in the past years. It seems in the past twenty years the caliber of police recruits has gone down considerably but we live in New York State and Our NYS Troopers are the finest. They are the ones to call when in trouble.
i first encountered Kelly sitting on a curb outside Hometown Buffet in Yorba Linda, someone had called the police Dept and they were talking to him and he was fine. The next time I saw him he was huddled outside of the carls jr in that same shopping center called rose dr plaza, it was getting colder out as winter was turning into full swing, he was walking around the doors of the Resteraunt as if not wanting to go inside. I remembered a jacket that my husband had never used and it was still brand new. I went home and returned with the jacket went inside the carls and found him sitting at a table, bought him a cup of coffee and asked if he minded that I sit down with him, he just looked at me and I then asked him if he could use a jacket and he nodded yes and still just looked at me, he said thank you and I’ll never forget those beautiful eyes and his gentle demeanor although he seemed a bit afraid of me, I never felt threatened or scared of him. I have been through alot with a member of my own family and cannot imagine what happened to Kelly happening to our loved one, I’m sorry for you’re loss and you’re heartbreak, I just want you to know he was cared for also in this community
The beautiful baby picture is enough to send me into a crying fit. The question was posed what would happen if you were to try to intervien when an police were over the top injuring an person they were arresting…I can tell you first hand..evidently they also have forgotten our right to free speach..I said stop your hurting him twice to officers in Oceanside and they injured me and arrested me…I am still in a law suit and this injustice is so ingrained into society I have trouble even finding someone to support me and protect my legal rights. Thankfully someone somewhere is standing up for this and for all the people who have no voice…I thought that was what the law was supposed to do…hope is eternal.
I remember you, Ron from Denver … I was looking through Google today to find you and instead, came across the heartbreaking story of your son. I am so very very sorry. My heart breaks for you.
Justice For Kelly Thomas. Justice for the Homeless.
My heart goes out to Ron and the rest of the Thomas family the friends that he knew in Fullerton and all over the LA ‘Silicone’ Valley.
It could have been me sitting there on the bus bench. Getting mobbed on by Fullertons FINEST!
[...] Orange County District Attorney’s office has been called upon to investigate misconduct against Kelly Thomas, the Fullerton man who was beaten to death by six police officers last [...]
I took one look at Kelly’s battered face and have been quietly crying for the past hour. I would prefer anger because it assists in fighting for justice. When Kelly cries out for Dad’s help, my heart feels ripped in half. My prayer is peace for the family and justice for the cruel and unspeakable injuries inflicted on this innocent man. May the vile, demented police officers responsible suffer in prison for their cowardly behavior.
[...] While Thomas was in a coma, his father Ron Thomas revealed that Kelly suffered from schizophrenia. His sister Christina Kinser described him as a “quiet, gentle soul.” [...]
The police protect us from crime. Who will protect us from the police? My heart and a prayer goes out to the Thomas family.
[...] [...]
My heart goes out to your Family,and to Kelly. I wonder what kind of training Police are given (or even if given) to work with the mentally ill. I know people who have mental illness and they suffer horribly, some more than others. Because people do not physically see the illness they have no understanding of what is going on inside this person whatsoevever.The only people who understand are people who have mental illness, or family and close friends of a mentally ill person. Looking from the outside in it is only a tiny glimpse at what the mentally ill deal with. I wish that there were long term hospitals for the mentally ill to live in, I think at one time there was. I think presently the mental health hospitals are only for temporary stays. This needs to change!!
My sicere condolences to the family of Kelly Thomas.
Seeing the video footage on TV reduced me to sobs. Those so called men are nothing but hot-headed bullies and hiding behind their ill-gotten authority. They committed a murder and must be punished in this life time for it.
Kelly looked like a very nice man who had an unlucky strike against him during life; it could have happened to any of us. To treat a fellow human being like those police did is barbaric. Those “police officers” are animals who need to be caged, they make me sick.
I truly hope that the good times and fond memories Kelly’s loved ones had with him will comfort them for days to come. God bless.
I am so sorry, I am so afraid of excessive police abuse, I really hope that Kelly’s case changes the ways police enforcement get treated by justice. I hope these men get the punishment they deserve. My prayers go to your family, I am very sorry for your loss.
I did not know Kelly but as a person with a disability, and with family members with disabilities, his death, to me, represents the worst that people who proport to protect and serve actually do grievous, unforgivable harm to a vulnerable member of our society that many people loved and knew. I pledge to never forget his story and as an artist I have dedicated a design to him. This one is for Kelly.
my heart can ‘t stop aching. If there is anything I can do…just ask. Why is there so much hate and cruelty in this world. Why don’t they get it? Why?
I want to send my condolences to the Thomas family….I only heard of this last night on the news(I’m from Canada)…I was greatly saddened, shocked & in disbelief to what I seen and heard. My thoughts & prayers are with your family…..
As one father to another I can only imagine the pain you must be going through as my young son lays, asleep, in his room. It tears as me the idea of him calling for me and my not being there for him, especially so abused by people impowered to protect.
I cried tonight on hearing this, as one father to another, and I resigned myself to help if I can. This needs to stop here, no father should ever feel this sense of empty loss again – and no system of justice should attempt to bury it.
I horrified at the thought of the world I’m sending my son into, not that officers would be violent but that a system would like to bury the story and keep those violent figures protecting are streets.
I had thought man had advanced beyond clubs to an age of reason.
I will not forget Kelly. Not that I knew the man but that I know a son. A father is a father, out children are everything.
Dear Mr. Thomas,
My heart goes out to you and your family. Such brutality can not be allowed, particularly from the people who are supposed to protect us. My heart broke when I heard your son cry for help from you. I started crying in my office. I am a father of three boys and I can’t only start to imagine the pain that this has caused you. I will never forget you or your son. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. Warm regards,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ve sat at my desk and cried at this for 10 minutes or more. I wont forget this story. More people need to be aware that this happened to your son. Looking at his pictures you could just tell he wasnt a violent person and it breaks my heart in two for him and for you.
Hey.. I’m really sorry.. it never should have turned out that way.. there was absolutely no reason anything like this should have occured.
because of my background, I firmly believe this should be a perfectly healthy economy and everyone with experience or expertise, should be able to create success.. although i’ve been fortunate to experience that norm, unfortunately that sad fact isn’t incorporated as a norm for anyone to be able to create success..
there is absolutely no reason this ever should have happened to Kelly.. i’m over 1000 miles away and what has been described and witnessed.. this is absolutely outrageous.. Kelly was attacked by someone showing fists and it’s very obvious I have witnessed 6 criminals with the exact intent they achieved… this is one of the MOST OUTRAGEOUS examples of very obviously is torture.. but it’s well beyond that.. something like this NEVER should have happened.. these obviously are savage beasts.. if this would of been the norm as proper law enforcement, Kelly would continue to be alive today.. I’m still very sorry this absolutely OUTRAGEOUS act of 6 criminals occured
Oh but these cops must be those “few bad apples” again right? It’s time for us to realize that the opposite is true. Cops have a mob-mentality and are indoctrinated to the peer-pressure standards of the force. You don’t wanna be the only cop not kicking the suspect, nor be a one-upper by acting professionally. Otherwise you’d be pretty lonely in that locker room, so this asshole-attitude persists. As I see it, MOST are unprofessional, aggressive, power-tripping pricks out to get a fat government pension with impunity.
Don’t believe me? Try filming any cop on the street. If they become angry or unlawfully arrest you, think about why. You will learn the ratio of good cops to bad cops. Those cops that ARE professional would be glad to have their work being spread over the internet. Those cops that AREN’T professional obviously don’t want it publicized.
Of course we must consider those who act professionally solely because they’re being filmed but let’s just give them the benefit of the doubt.
Try it. I’d bet the ratio is something like 65% bad cops, 35% good cops. It certainly has been in my experience. This is just another example of why we need to strip power from the government.
My deepest sympathies for the Thomas family. I’ve shed quite a few tears since first hearing the story. Respect to Ron Thomas for getting the story out there and fighting for what’s right. Hopefully you will inspire more people to join your protests.
when kelly Thomas listened to killer cop manuel ramos although is was very hard for kelly to do because his instincts warned him not to do that this raging bull would kill him as sure enough the killer cop did ! This cop needs to be treated as anyone else and give him 1st degree,we all see the truth ! This is such an abuse,kelly was such a small man.cops need have compassion maybe he was braking into cars feed him dont kill him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the biggest crime by cops ive seen in long time and the fact that he is a latino too,mkes it worst,he should know of white mans nazi control ways !