Dallas singer shot while signing autographs after the show

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

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

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

Credit: Dee Porter, photographer

Singer Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was shot in the chest while signing autographs after a performance Saturday evening 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 in the autograph line.

There were almost 200 people in the concert hall. Multiple witnesses told police they saw Williams shoot Thomas and then leave.

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

“I went into a state of emotional rage where everything became more and more vague,” he recalls. “I went out and said, ‘Where did the lady go?’ And they pointed in the direction she was going. I saw her through the glass doors, so I just started running after her.”

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

Mugshot from Dallas County Jail – Micah Williams

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

Williams also alleged that the victim had harassed her last year. However, FOX 4 has not been able to verify that claim.

Investigators cannot question the victim because she is still in the hospital.

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

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

King says he is improving security by adding metal detectors and having 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 coming out of surgery Monday night. She can only communicate by writing on a piece of paper for now, but she is making progress in her recovery.

Performances originally scheduled for Monday were canceled.

The motive for the shooting is still under investigation.