In the late summer of 2016, a domestic dispute in a quiet Wixom, Michigan, apartment complex escalated into a tragedy that claimed the life of 21-year-old Gabriel Dumas. On August 12th, the young man was visiting his 37-year-old girlfriend, Laricca Mathews, at her home in the Meadowood Park apartment complex. An argument reportedly broke out between the couple, with tensions flaring over money and their relationship.
The confrontation took a fatal turn when Mathews is said to have retrieved a handgun.
In a moment that would forever alter several lives, a single shot was fired, striking Dumas in the head. The devastating event unfolded in the presence of two young children who were at the apartment. Following the shooting, Mathews herself contacted emergency services. When Wixom police officers arrived at the scene, she surrendered to them. Dumas was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injury proved to be mortal, and he succumbed to the gunshot wound a short time later.
Following the incident, Laricca Mathews was taken into custody and subsequently charged with open murder and felony firearm. During her arraignment, Mathews, who was a school bus driver, indicated that she had a concealed pistol license and suggested a possible defense, inquiring about services for abused women. The court, however, denied her bond, and she was detained at the Oakland County Jail to await further legal proceedings. The two children who witnessed the traumatic event were safely returned to the care of their mother.
