ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Larry Thomlison walked out of the St. Charles County Jail Monday night after being awarded a bond reduction. A judge agreed to let him out if he could come up with 10 percent of the $100,000 bond while he waits for his trial.
Thomlison, 66, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action after a March 5, 2019 shooting in the parking lot of a St. Charles Target store.
Thomlison reportedly took a picture of an Amazon van parked in a handicapped spot, posted it to Facebook, and then confronted the driver. Prosecutors said the victim, identified as 21-year-old Jaylen Walker, noticed Thomlison had a gun and ran to his van, at which point Thomlison shot Walker in the back.
Walker was paralyzed from the neck down and spoke from his hospital bed just days after the shooting to say he’d already forgiven the shooter.
“I could’ve died right there. I do not want that hatred on my heart. I don’t want to die saying I hate anyone,” Walker said at the time.
Walker’s personal injury attorney, Mark Cantor, was also by his bedside that day. Cantor said his client did not fight Thomlison’s bond reduction.
“He continues to forgive Mr. Thomlinson and that’s pretty amazing when you think about it,” Cantor said.
Cantor sent FOX 2 recent pictures of Walker as he continues fighting to walk again. According to Cantor, Walker is pushing hard not only for himself but also for his son.
“Although we are allowing the criminal justice system to do its job we are pursuing all civil remedies and we will continue to do so,” Cantor said. “Don’t get confused between forgiveness and forgetfulness. We will forgive but we will never forget.”
Thomlison has another court date at the St. Charles County courthouse at the end of August. Thomlison’s attorney did respond to our requests for comment.
You can learn more about Walker’s recovery on his GoFundMe page.
