Who is Jada Arnell Thomas? Dallas Singer Shot Onstage Signing Autographs

A Texas singer is hospitalized after she was shot onstage following a performance Saturday with The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in downtown Dallas.

Jada Arnell Thomas, 26, was reportedly signing autographs after the show when a woman from the crowd shot her in the chest.

Dallas police arrested Micah Williams, 26, as the suspected shooter. She allegedly fled the building after the shooting and police found her a short time later.

She was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was taken to the Dallas County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

TBAAL founder and president Curtis King told NBC 5 Monday night that Thomas was not awake but was in stable condition.

Dallas police told Newsweek on Tuesday that Thomas “is reported to be in stable condition.”

Newsweek has contacted The Black Academy of Arts and Letters for comment.

King addressed the shooting on Facebook, recalling what Thomas said to him moments before the shooting.

“‘Thank you Big Pappa, a.k.a. Mr. King for always supporting us and giving us a ‘safe’ place to work’ were Jada Arnell’s words during the Talk Back at yesterday’s 3 pm matinee performance at TBAAL,” he wrote.

“Little did any of us know that a few minutes later, this safe haven for Dallas citizens, artists, and patrons would be shattered by a person whose motives were clearly different from anything, any of us could have phantom or imagined!”

King continued, “A wonderful performance by 3 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!”

In another post, King revealed TBAAL will implement enhanced safety measures for their future events, including decreasing the number of entry points to focus on preventing weapons from entering their spaces.

“For 48 years, TBAAL has proudly maintained a tradition of safe, family-oriented events and a welcoming environment,” King said. “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.”

Who is Jada Thomas?

Thomas has 21,000 followers on her Facebook page. She lives in DeSoto, Texas, and attended the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

One day before the shooting, Thomas made a Facebook post inviting fans to the remaining performances of her show The Bitches which she performs with two other women.

“If a woman stands her ground, she’s often called a ‘bitch.’ If a man stands his ground, he’s called a man,” a poster for the show reads.

“Three women Jada Arnell, K Woods, and Lucki Azariah, from different backgrounds open their hearts, revealing unfeigned and tender moments of their experiences in a society that’s not always in their favor.”

The show had one more performance scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on the day Thomas was shot.

Thomas has not posted on Facebook since the incident.

Death of Christina Grimmie

On June 10, 2016, YouTube star and The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie was shot dead while signing autographs after a concert at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida.

Grimmie, 22, went to hug obsessed fan Kevin James Loibl, 27, but he shot her once in the head and twice in the chest before fatally shooting himself.

Orlando police said Loibl had shown an “unhealthy and unrealistic infatuation” with Grimmie and tried to make himself more physically attractive for her through weight loss, hair transplants, teeth whitening, and eye surgery.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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