Five years and no answers: Mom of man shot and killed continues to fight for justice
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Clutching her son's hat, Mary Ponicki said it never gets easier returning to the spot her son was killed.
“It’s the one he was wearing when he died, I got it back from the police," Ponicki said. "They gave it to me. It’s precious to me. It’s old and rough but it smells like Tom so it’s soothing to me to have this hat.”
Friday marks five years since Ponicki's son, Thomas Anders, was murdered on July 22, 2017. He had just turned 21 the month prior.
“Tom was a great kid," she said. "Our world pretty much revolved around Tom.”
Known as 'Tommy' or 'Tom Tom' to those closest to him, Anders was an only child and a graduate of Gull Lake High School. He had attended Western Michigan University for one year, Ponicki said.
Ponicki and her husband were on vacation in Northern Michigan when they got the phone call that would change their lives.
"We were far away, 8.5 hours away when we got that phone call," Ponicki said. “I remember that horrifying moment. We were in the hotel, a very early morning, and I was thinking please– maybe a car wreck or something, he was just hurt, and instead it was the worst nightmare you can have as a mother.”
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said Anders was shot in the torso on July 22, 2017.
They had named a person of interest within days of the deadly shooting and have interviewed many people since then, but no one has been charged in his death.
“People who have information are not coming forward and being cooperative," KDPS Lieutenant Mike Treu said in a phone call with News Channel 3. "We as the police can only do so much. The people who were there that have information don’t want to come forward. We’ve run down all of information we have.”
Ponicki said it's been difficult to forward without her only child-- but she continues to visit the spot where he was killed, planting flowers and a new cross, on every birthday and anniversary of his death.
“I miss him," she said. "I need a hug and I can’t have a hug. He won’t get married, he won’t have children, I won’t have grandchildren.”
The lack of progress in the case has been disappointing, Ponicki said. She is urging anyone who knows something about that night to come forward as she continues to fight for justice for her son.
“I know somebody saw something," Ponicki said. "They just need to come forward. It feels safe to do that now after five years.”
Anyone with information should contact the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at (269) 337-8120 or the Silent Observer to remain anonymous at (269) 343-2100.
Connect with Lexie Petrovic on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send story ideas to apetrovic@sbgtv.com.
