Dallas singer shot while signing autographs after show
DALLAS - Police say the woman arrested for shooting a Dallas singer after a concert this weekend admitted to the crime.
They say she watched the entire performance and then got in an autograph line after the concert before she opened fire.
Police responded to reports of a shooting on Saturday shortly before 6 p.m. in Downtown Dallas.
Credit: Dee Porter, Photographer
Singer Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was shot in the chest while signing autographs following a performance Saturday evening at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Downtown Dallas.
Police say the shooter, 26-year-old Micah Williams, was just feet away from Thomas in the autograph line.
Close to 200 people were inside the concert hall. Multiple witnesses told police they saw Williams shoot Thomas and then take off.
Curtis King, the founder of the Black Academy of Arts & Letters, chased after Williams on foot to the Thompson Hotel off Akard.
"I went into a state of emotional rage where everything was blur and blurring," he recalled. "I went out the door and said, ‘Where did the lady go?’ And they pointed in the direction where she went. I saw her through the glass doors, and so I just started running after her."
Officers arrested Williams in the hotel lobby. Police say a handgun was located inside her purse.
Dallas County Jail mugshot - Micah Williams
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by FOX 4, Williams admitted to the shooting.
Williams also claimed the victim harassed her last year. However, FOX 4 hasn't been able to verify that claim.
Investigators are unable to interview the victim since she’s still in the hospital.
King says once he saw Williams’ mug, he recognized her from more than a decade ago but is still waiting for investigators to release a motive.
"They said, ‘Mr. King, she has performed here at the Black Academy.’ She was in a summer program 10-12 years ago," he said. "I am not going to allow people to walk in fear and come to a place that I enjoy."
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King says he is beefing up security by adding metal detectors and only having one entrance.
Williams faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was booked into the Dallas County Jail.
Thomas remains in the hospital. She was barely able to communicate after getting out of surgery Monday evening. She can only communicate by writing on a piece of paper for now, but she is progressing in her recovery.
Performances originally set for Monday were canceled.
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.