SALT LAKE CITY — A pro bull rider from Fresno, Texas was killed in Utah overnight Monday in what Salt Lake City police are calling a domestic violence homicide.
Demetrius Omar Lateef Allen, who went by the name Ouncie Mitchell as a pro bull rider, was found shot outside an apartment complex in Salt Lake City, police said in a news release. Allen, 27, was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Police arrested LaShawn Denise Bagley, a 21-year-old woman, on suspicion of murder.
Bagley and Allen had been in a relationship. Allen went to Utah to attend the state fair and was staying with Bagley. The two got into a fight at a bar, and Allen went to Bagley's apartment to get his things, where he was shot, police said.
Bagley was booked into jail. No charges had been filed as of Monday afternoon. It is unknown if she has an attorney.
Family grieving
Allen's family in Fort Bend County is grieving over his death. They said he was living his dream as a professional bull rider.
“He took up after his daddy. His daddy was a bull rider,” Nathan Jean “Mama Sugar” Sanders said.
Mama Sugar is the matriarch of the family and still can't believe what happened. Allen's mother, Laquita Allen, is still trying to process the loss of her only son.
“This tragedy is very unexpected. We expected him to die by the bull, not by the bullet,” Laquita said. “I really don’t know the details. I don’t want to know the details. My only thing is getting my son home.”
Allen leaves behind a 4-year-old daughter.
Who was Ouncie Mitchell
Sean Gleason, the commissioner of Professional Bull Riders, PBR, said in a statement that Allen is the same person who goes by the name Ouncie Mitchell. He said the organization was saddened to find out about the death of a rider who had become a familiar face on the PBR Velocity Tour and competed in the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
“Ouncie got his name because he was born small,” Gleason said. “He grew up to compete with a huge heart. The PBR organization sincerely extends our own heartfelt condolences to Ouncie’s cousin Ezekiel Mitchell and the entire Mitchell family.”