MARTIN COUNTY — The man officials said shot someone on Dec. 3 in Stuart faces charges of armed robbery and was suspected in an attempted murder case that was dropped by prosecutors last year, police and court records show.

Stuart police said Ri’ahj Lee Thomas, 20, of Fort Pierce, entered an apartment at the Crossings at Indian Run Apartments off Southeast Indian Street with four other people and shot a man in the leg.

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In the most recent shooting, police have disclosed scant details. Lt. Michael Gerwan, of Stuart police, said there was a dispute between a group of people that led up to the shooting.

Detectives have not disclosed who the dispute was between, Gerwan said.

“The detectives know that information, I just know that there was a dispute and altercation involving a group of people,” Gerwan said. “They’re still working their case.”

Gerwan said Thursday the case was still under investigation and detectives are not releasing any further information.

Sheriff’s records show in September, Thomas was charged with armed robbery. In 2021, he was charged with attempted murder but the State Attorney’s Office later dropped that charge.

On the armed robbery charge, Thomas is accused of robbing a convenience store in Martin County, according to sheriff’s office documents. This is the charge he is being held on in Martin County Jail.

Sheriff’s investigators said Thomas and another man robbed a 7-Eleven in the 3000 block of Southeast Dixie Highway. Thomas and the other man drew guns on the clerk and demanded her phone and all the cash from both registers, according to a Martin County Sheriff’s complaint affidavit.

The woman was told not to call the police or the men would come back and shoot her. As soon as the men left, the clerk called her mother from her iPad and sheriff’s deputies arrived.

Sheriff’s investigators said they identified Thomas at the 7-Eleven from security footage and seeing distinctive facial tattoos. The woman said the two men were wearing ski masks, but she recalled one had facial tattoos, according to the affidavit.

Investigators said they found the clerk’s phone and screen protector at the parking lot of Loyal Order of Moose Lodge in the 2400 block of Southeast Indian Street. A crime scene technician found a positive match with Thomas’ fingerprints on the screen protector, according to the affidavit.

Investigators also found video posted on an Instagram story of Thomas with a man whose vehicle investigators said resembled a vehicle caught on video surveillance near the scene of the robbery.

Additional security footage helped investigators track down Thomas.

In the attempted murder case, Stuart police investigators said Thomas shot a man in the shoulder and just missed his head on Park Avenue near Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Thomas was talking to a man in a car when police say he pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots. The man was shot in the shoulder and was taken to the hospital.

Police said they obtained video and identified Thomas as the shooter. But the State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges, citing no information, according to court records.

Thomas is being held on armed robbery charges on no bond at Martin County Jail, according to Stuart police.