Preston — State police on Monday identified Robert Thompson of Preston as the victim of a fatal drive-by shooting in the area of Routes 12 and 2A early Saturday morning.

Thompson, of 175 Branch Hill Road, was 35. The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which conducted an autopsy Sunday, ruled the death a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound to the neck.

Thompson was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, according to his Facebook page. On Oct. 12, he posted about a new construction job in connection with the $850 million expansion project at Electric Boat. He also participated in mixed martial arts fights.

Thompson's friend, Romeo Mayo, said he spoke to Thompson just days before his death. He said he'd known Thompson since he was young.

"He smiles a lot and enjoyed life and embraced people," Mayo wrote in a Facebook message to The Day. "He used to be scrawny and then took on the passion of toning and working out and soon after moved to bodybuilding."

Mike Munro, another friend of Thompson's, said Thompson was a "good man."

"A strong individual both mentally and physically. He looked like a 'rough' guy but he would do anything for the people he called his friends and family," Munro wrote in a Facebook message to The Day. "He was 100% the last of a dying breed! A real man's man who would give you the food from his plate and the clothes from his back."

Mayo added that Thompson was known for his passion and positive advice. He said Thompson once told him, "I'm not the best person; I'm not the worst person; I'm me."

According to state police, they received a 911 call at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday from a motorist who had heard what he thought were gunshots in the area of Route 2A and Route 12 in Preston. As troopers responded to the scene, Ledyard police notified state police that they were escorting a vehicle to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London "for a reported gunshot victim."

Thompson was the passenger of the targeted vehicle, police said. He died at the hospital, and the other vehicle involved left the scene, police said.

The State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad is investigating, and has come up with "a person of interest," who has not been identified.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact state police detectives at (860) 896-3248 or state police headquarters at (860) 685-8190. All calls may remain anonymous.

s.spinella@theday.com