On June 20, 2024, at approximately 11:05 p.m., Muhammad Hussain, a 60-year-old resident of Carrollton, Texas, was fatally shot while working as a clerk at the Jaxx Fuel gas station located at 1701 W. Bruton Road in Mesquite. Surveillance footage revealed that a male suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Davonta Lamond Mathis from Waco, Texas, entered the store wearing a dark hoodie and a red bandana.
Without any verbal interaction, Mathis approached the cash register and immediately opened fire, striking Hussain multiple times in the upper torso. After the shooting, Mathis stole a handful of scratch-off lottery tickets before fleeing the scene.
Two days later, on June 22, Mathis committed a similar crime at the Fox Gas Station in Dallas, resulting in the death of another clerk, 32-year-old Gopi Krishna Dasari. In this incident, Mathis entered the store, approached the counter, and shot Dasari multiple times before stealing several Black and Mild cigarillos. He then attempted unsuccessfully to access the cash register before fleeing.
Shortly after the second shooting, Mesquite police officers spotted a vehicle matching the description from the surveillance footage near Military Parkway and South Town East Boulevard. Upon attempting a traffic stop, Mathis led the officers on a brief pursuit before being apprehended. At the time of his arrest, Mathis was found in possession of a .380-caliber pistol and was wearing clothing consistent with that seen in the surveillance videos from both crime scenes.
During police interviews, Mathis confessed to both shootings. He stated that he shot Hussain because he feared the clerk would alert authorities and admitted to targeting Dasari because the store lacked lottery tickets. Mathis further revealed that he had purchased the firearm illegally for $400 and hoped that the stolen lottery tickets would provide sufficient funds to secure an apartment.
Mathis has been charged with two counts of capital murder and evading arrest. He is currently held in the Dallas County Jail with bonds totaling $7.5 million. The Mesquite Police Department continues to investigate the case and has expressed gratitude to the Dallas Police Department for their assistance in the swift apprehension of the suspect.
