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'A Coward Move': Family Mourns Daughters Shot To Death At Texas A&M As Ex-Boyfriend Is Charged
Police say the suspect, Jacques Dshawn Smith, was an ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts, who was shot to death Monday.
A family is mourning two young sisters killed in a shooting at a Texas A&M University campus as police say they have charged one of the victims' ex-boyfriend with capital murder.
Abbaney Matts, 20, and Deja Matts, 19, were shot to death in a Texas A&M University-Commerce dorm room Monday morning. Abbaney's 2-year-old son was also shot during the incident but is currently in stable condition, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Abbaney's ex-boyfriend Jacques Dshawn Smith was arrested at his home in Rowlett the day after the shooting, Police Lt. David Nabors told the Dallas Morning News.
"The suspect is 21-year-old Jacques Dshawn Smith. Smith is not a student at A&M-Commerce. He is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts, one of the deceased individuals," Texas A&M-Commerce said of the arrest on Facebook on Tuesday.
Police said an arrest warrant for Smith was obtained through the use of surveillance and witness tips, according to The Associated Press.
A Garland police spokesman said Smith had been also been arrested late last month after he allegedly hit Abbaney with a frying pan. He was subsequently charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and released on bond just last week. He was ordered not to contact Abbaney or be in possession of a deadly weapon, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Deja was studying to be a nurse at the college and Abbaney — who did not attend the school — had driven her sister back to college following a weekend family get-together, according to local television station WFAA.
“I think it was a coward move. I mean that someone would do something like that. My daughters were fun, uplifting, they had plenty of friends. Nice folks. Know what I'm saying. They took both my daughters,” father Timothy Matts told WFAA. "They were just up here. My son had a birthday party and they were all up here and went back and all this happened."
“This doesn’t feel real,” the girls' mother, Vanessa Matts, wrote in a Facebook post dedicated to the sisters, according to a screenshot obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 13,000-student school has canceled classes through Wednesday due to the ongoing investigation of the shooting, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, friends and students impacted by today’s tragic event. During this difficult time, we encourage our Lion family – students, faculty, staff and friends – to remain supportive of each other," university president Mark Rudin said in a statement released Tuesday.
