John Jefferson
Left inset: Jada Thomas (Instagram). Right Inset: Micah Williams (Dallas County Jail). Background: Black Academy of Arts and Letters where Williams allegedly shot Thomas on Nov. 2, 2024 (Google Maps).
A 26-year-old singer in Texas was shot while signing autographs following her performance over the weekend, officials say.
Jada Thomas, who performs under the name Jada Arnell, is in stable condition following the shooting that occurred shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in downtown Dallas, cops said in an email. Dallas police arrested the suspect, 26-year-old Micah Thomas, nearby not long after the incident. She’s facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is the Dallas County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
Local Fox affiliate KDFW obtained an arrest affidavit that said Williams watched Thomas’ entire performance at the venue in front of about 200 people. Following the event, Thomas stayed on stage to sign autographs. As she was doing so, Williams who was just feet away from her pulled out a handgun and shot Thomas in the chest, the affidavit reportedly said. Williams then ran away.
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Curtis King, who founded the academy, told the TV station he took off after Williams.
“I went into a state of emotional rage where everything was kind of blurred, blurry,” he said. “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.”
The affidavit reportedly stated cops found Williams in the lobby of a nearby hotel and took her into custody. She allegedly had a gun in her purse. According to police, Williams admitted to the shooting. She reportedly claimed she and Thomas had a previous spat. Witnesses who spoke to police about Williams described her as “really robotic and off,” local ABC affiliate WFAA reported.
King wrote in a Facebook post that Thomas was one of a trio of singers who had been performing over the last two weeks.
“A wonderful performance by three remarkable women, artists, singers, entertainers, actors, etc. who wrote their own material, selected the music and did the vocal arrangements collaboratively for this show’s two-week run is a magnificent testament to their genius and talent!” he wrote.
King said it was “eerie to know that we know live in the kind of world with people who seem to be bent on doing harm to other people, many times for no apparent reason.” He believes Williams participated in the academy’s summer program about 10 years ago. No further motive was given for the shooting.
Police say Thomas remains in the hospital.
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