Two men charged with fatally shooting mother outside Venice bike shop

Less than a month after she gave birth to her son, Ky Alicia Thomas was looking forward to spending a day out on the Venice boardwalk with her husband, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend. Thomas, 28, had a difficult pregnancy and the outing in December 2020 was an opportunity to enjoy herself.

“She had kept saying that she wanted to see the sunset,” said Cortlyn Bridges, Thomas’ mother.

Thomas rented a scooter on the boardwalk, but around 5:30 p.m. her group was approached by several people outside the rental shop. An argument followed and shots rang out, authorities said. Thomas was struck and later died at a nearby hospital.

In addition to her newborn son, Thomas was the mother of an 8-year-old daughter, Bridges said.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles district attorney’s office announced two men were arrested and charged with Thomas’ murder.

Isiah Eugene Caldwell, 28, and Jonathan Michael Singh, 30, were charged with one count of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Singh faces one count of possession of an assault weapon, a rifle, and Caldwell faces one misdemeanor count of carrying a loaded firearm on his person or in a vehicle, according to authorities.

Both suspects pleaded not guilty when the charges were filed on Jan. 28 — Bridges’ birthday — and they’re scheduled to appear in court Thursday. Bridges said a third suspect was arrested in connection with her daughter’s shooting and that the individual was a minor at the time.

The district attorney’s office did not announce the suspects’ arrests until this week. Bridges wants to know why the arrests in her daughter’s killing did not receive the same type of priority that other recent, high-profile killings in Los Angeles have received from the district attorney’s office.

“She was a mother with hopes and aspirations for her children,” Bridges said.

Thomas was born in Pasadena and grew up in Rialto. Before her killing, she had purchased a home. On the day she was shot at Venice Beach, she was exchanging design ideas with her mother over the phone. Bridges texted her daughter a photo of a gray and white plaque with a Bible scripture from the Book of Isaiah.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you,” the scripture read.

Thomas was on the beach when she got the message. She texted her mother back, “I want that for my bathroom.”

Bridges now has that scripture tattooed on her arm.

“In different things I do, I refer to that scripture. When someone is going through something now, I refer to that scripture. That was the last thing that I had communicated with my daughter,” Bridges said.