MESQUITE, Texas — A man accused in the killings of two North Texas store clerks last week quickly shot both victims at each location, first stealing lottery tickets and then cigarillos, according to arrest warrant affidavits obtained by WFAA.
Davonta Lamond Mathis, 21, faces charges of capital murder, murder and evading arrest in the case, according to jail records.
The killings happened on the Thursday night, June 20, and then early Saturday morning, June 22, police said.
Investigators are alleging that Mathis first shot and killed Muhammad Hussain, 60, at the Jaxx Fuel gas station at 1701 W. Bruton Road in Mesquite around 11:06 p.m. Thursday, the affidavit said. Then, early Saturday morning, Mathis went to the Fox Gas Station at 8620 Lake June Road in Dallas and shot and killed Gopi Krishna Dasari, police said.
Both victims were clerks at their stores.
In the Hussain killing, Mathis is accused of pulling into a parking spot in an older-model Chevrolet pickup truck and walking inside while wearing a dark hoodie and a red bandana, the affidavit said. Surveillance footage captured Mathis "quickly" walking up to the cash register and opening fire with a handgun, striking Hussain. Mathis told police he shot him because he didn't want Hussain to run and call police, according to the affidavit. Mathis then ran to a lottery ticket booth inside the store, grabbed a handful of tickets and ran away, the affidavit said.
In the Dasari killing, Mathis is accused of arriving at the Fox Gas Station and walking toward Dasari, the affidavit said. After four seconds inside the gas station, Mathis pulled out a black semiautomatic .380-caliber pistol and fired it multiple times, killing Dasari, according to the affidavit.
Mathis then jumped over the counter, grabbed several Black and Mild cigarillos and then jumped back over the counter, the affidavit said. Before leaving, the affidavit said, Mathis "began manipulating the touch screen" on the cash register but couldn't get it to open.
He then left the store, the affidavit said.
About 50 minutes later, shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, Mesquite police saw the older-model pickup truck that was wanted in the initial fatal shooting of Hussain, near Military Parkway and South Town East Boulevard. The officers tried to pull the truck over, but a chase ensued.
The officers ultimately caught the driver, who was identified as Mathis, according to the affidavit. A .380-caliber pistol was found in the truck, and Mathis was allegedly wearing the same clothes he had on during each shooting, the affidavit said.
When police interviewed Mathis, he admitted to shooting both Hussain and Dasari, police wrote in the affidavit. He also stated that he was hoping the lottery tickets would give him enough money to get an apartment, according to the affidavit.
Mathis was booked into the Dallas County Jail, where he remains in custody with his bond set at $7.5 million.