After performing with The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in downtown Dallas on Saturday, a Dallas vocalist was shot onstage and taken to the hospital, according to authorities.
Witnesses told that a lady in the audience shot 26-year-old Jada Arnell Thomas while she was signing autographs onstage. According to the Dallas Police Department, Thomas is in stable condition after being taken by Dallas Fire Rescue to a nearby hospital.
Micah Williams, who is also 26 years old, was taken into custody by officers after they reported finding a firearm. Williams was taken to the Dallas County Jail after being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
It’s unknown whether the two knew one another, and the police did not provide a motive. The inquiry is still under progress.
Thomas was “going to be okay” according to a social media post made on Sunday by Curtis King, the president and founder of TBAAL.
At the time of her Saturday performance, King said, Thomas had thanked him “for always supporting us and giving us a’safe’ place to work.” Gunshots rang out a few moments later.
‘It was a packed house, people were in line getting autographs and we heard this shot,” King stated. “It was unreal. It was like everything was in slow motion.”
Officers discovered the accused shooter in the lobby of a nearby hotel after workers followed her outside and dialed 911, he told the site.
“It is eerie to know that we now live in the kind of world with people who seem to be bent on doing harm to other people, many times for no apparent and sensible reason,” King stated.
Thomas is “courageously strong, resilient and a devout child of God,” he confirmed, and he urged the community to pray.
In a different social media post, King declared that TBAAL will be implementing a series of improved safety measures for their events in the future, which will include reducing the number of access points to concentrate on keeping firearms out of their areas.
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“For 48 years, TBAAL has proudly maintained a tradition of safe, family-oriented events and a welcoming environment,” King stated. “We affirm that our patrons are upstanding citizens who share our commitment to a safe, positive environment for all. As we continue forward, our mission to enrich the community through arts remains unwavering.”
According to its mission statement, TBAAL is a multidisciplinary arts group that works to “create and enhance an awareness and understanding of artistic, cultural, and aesthetic differences utilizing the framework of African, African-American, and Caribbean Arts and Letters.”
