Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Famous For Acting In Spike Lee Films, Fatally Shot

BYCole BlakeUpdated on September 26, 202210.0K Views

Spike Lee, Thomas Jefferson Byrd

Thomas Jefferson Byrd was fatally shot in Atlanta, Saturday.

Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, famous for his role in a number of Spike Lee films, was fatally shot in Atlanta, Saturday. He was 70-years-old.

Mireya Acierto / Getty Images

Police found Byrd unresponsive while responding to a call regarding an injured person at 1:45 AM on Belvedere Ave. Emergency medical services pronounced him dead on the scene. He had several gunshot wounds in his back

Byrd appeared in several of Lee's films including Clockers, Get on the Bus, Bamboozled, Chi-Raq, Red Hook Summer, Girl 6, and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. He also appeared in the Ray Charles biopic Ray and F. Gary Gray’s Set It Off. Lee honored Byrd with a lengthy post on Instagram, Sunday.

“I’m so sad to announce the tragic murder of our beloved brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd last night in Atlanta, Georgia,” Lee wrote. “Tom is my guy. Here below you see him as the frightening character Errol Barnes in CLOCKERS. Brother Byrd also did his thang in my joints — CHI-RAQ, SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS, RED HOOK SUMMER, BAMBOOZLED, HE GOT GAME, GET ON THE BUS, GIRL 6 and CLOCKERS. May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family. Rest in peace brother Byrd.”

Homicide detectives are currently investigating the incident.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF7inWoHV2C

[Via]

About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.