Dallas singer shot and killed while signing autographs after performance

DALLAS – Police say the woman arrested for killing a Dallas singer after a concert this weekend has confessed to the crime.

They say she watched the entire performance and signed an autograph after the concert before opening fire.

Police responded to reports of a shooting Saturday just before 6 p.m. in downtown Dallas.

Singer Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was shot in the chest while signing autographs after her performance Saturday night at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in downtown Dallas.

Police say the shooter, 26-year-old Micah Williams, was just a few feet away from Thomas during the autograph signing.

There were about 200 people in the concert hall. Several witnesses told police they saw Williams shoot Thomas and then flee.

Curtis King, founder of the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, pursued Williams on foot to the Thompson Hotel near Akard.

“I went into a state of emotional rage where everything was blurry and blurry,” he recalled. “I walked out the door and asked, ‘Where did the woman go?’ And they pointed in the direction she went. I saw her through the glass doors, so I just ran after her.”

Officers arrested Williams in the hotel lobby. Police say there was a gun in her purse.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by FOX 4, Williams admitted to the shooting.

Williams also stated that the victim had been stalking her for the past year. However, FOX 4 was unable to verify this claim.

Investigators are unable to interview the victim because she is still in the hospital.

King says when he saw Williams’ mug, he recognized her more than a decade ago, but he’s still waiting for investigators to release a motive.

“They said, ‘Mr. King, she performed here at the Black Academy.’ She was in a summer program 10-12 years ago,” he said. “I’m not going to let people walk around in fear and come to a place that I like.”

King says he is beefing up security by adding metal detectors and maintaining only one entrance.

Williams is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was booked into the Dallas County Jail.

Thomas remains in the hospital. She could barely communicate after her surgery on Monday night. For now, she can only communicate through writing on a piece of paper, but her recovery is progressing.

Performances originally scheduled for Monday have been cancelled.

The motive for the shooting is still under investigation.