A tragic incident unfolded in North Texas as Davonta Mathis stands accused of brutally murdering two convenience store clerks in Mesquite and Dallas.
According to police reports detailed in the arrest affidavit, Mathis confessed to the killings, revealing a chilling motive rooted in robbery for lottery tickets to secure housing.
Mathis allegedly used a stolen truck and an illegally obtained firearm to carry out the crimes. His arrest affidavit states he showed no remorse for shooting 60-year-old Muhammad Hussain in Mesquite and 32-year-old Gopi Dasari in Dallas within a span of a day. The motive, as per investigators, appears to have been solely driven by theft.
Mesquite Police Sgt. Curtis Phillip described the crimes as heinous, noting that neither victim was given the chance to comply with Mathis’s demands before he fatally shot them. Mathis reportedly admitted to targeting Hussain due to his appearance and fearing he might alert authorities.
“He never told the clerk anything. But when he walked in, [the clerk] looked at him, so he shot him because he did not want him to run out and call the police,” Mathis told police, according to the affidavit.
After the shootings, Mathis fled with stolen lottery tickets and was later spotted cashing them in Hillsboro, north of Waco, his hometown. Police managed to apprehend him after a pursuit in Mesquite.
Mathis admitted to purchasing the handgun used in the crimes illegally from an individual on the street, stating he hoped the lottery winnings would finance an apartment.
“This is someone who is just truly violent and doesn’t have a lot of remorse for what they’re doing or really any for that matter,” Sgt. Phillip remarked on Mathis’s behavior.
Mathis faces two counts of capital murder and is currently held at the Dallas County jail on a $7.5 million bond pending further legal proceedings.
