TCU holds vigil to honor student killed in apparent random shooting
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU held a vigil for the junior finance and marketing major killed last week in an apparent random shooting.
Wes Smith's family attended Wednesday’s prayer vigil, which was closed to the media. His parents were in attendance.
Police say Smith was the random target of a shooting and that 21-year-old Matthew Purdy confessed.
Hundreds of attendees came out to the candlelight remembrance.
Members of the middle school football team Smith coached also came to honor his life, writing down their special memories.
One of the players on the team is the son of Fort Worth Mayor Maddie Parker, who was in attendance.
The victim’s parents arrived hugging friends and loved ones ahead of the vigil.
Members of the media were told to keep a distance as the vigil got underway just around 8 p.m.
Smith, a junior at TCU, was shot and killed in an apparent random act of violence in Fort Worth’s Entertainment District last Friday.
Police say the suspect, Matthew Purdy, admitted he shot Smith three times and said he would have shot more people if he had not run out of ammunition.
Smith’s family traveled from Tennessee to Texas to attend the vigil. They told FOX 4 that they want their son to be remembered as a selfless, bright and loving young man.
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Vigil set for TCU student killed in random act of violence
Wes Smith's family is expected to travel from Tennessee to Texas to attend. His parents say he was bright, athletic and selfless. They say they don't want his death to be in vain.
The family said the last time they saw their son was a month ago to finish moving him in at TCU and to celebrate his 21st birthday.
Smith spent his final day coaching middle school football at All Saints Episcopal School in Fort Worth and then met up with friends.
"When things weren’t going good at practice or game, he was just really there to hype us up and lift us up," said Jaxon Knapp, who was coached by Smith.
"The fact that after all this happened, he probably had 15 friends that came up to me and said the same thing. Wes was my best friend, which just showed the character of the individual. He was an athlete, a leader. He worked in his fraternity," said Smith’s professor, Ken Corbit. "It was devastating because I had seen him on Thursday afternoon. And so we were going into the holiday weekend, and the last thing I said was, ‘Hey, everyone. Have a safe weekend but be careful it’s the first game. It’s a holiday weekend.’ On the way out, Wes gave me a fist bump and smiled at me."
Meanwhile, the football team Smith coached plans to wear stickers on their helmets in his memory.
Smith’s funeral is scheduled for next week in Memphis.