The murder of TCU student Wes Smith was personal for Fort Worth’s mayor.
Mayor Mattie Parker said Friday that Smith, a junior finance major shot and killed by a stranger in the West 7th district, was “a remarkable young man” who coached her son’s football team.
“Early this morning, Wes Smith was shot and killed in a senseless act of gun violence,” Parker said in a written statement. “Wes was a TCU student and a remarkable young man who impacted countless lives including my own son as a football coach for his middle school team. Our family is praying and grieving for the entire TCU community and especially for Wes’ family and friends.”
Police said they arrested 21-year-old Matthew Purdy within minutes of the shooting early Friday morning on Bledsoe Street, about a block from University Drive. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Purdy told homicide detectives that he approached Smith, 21, on the street outside a bar and shot him three times but could not say why he did it.
As Purdy tried to escape, he also hit a witness in the head with his handgun, police said.
In the past year, police have made efforts to reduce crime in the popular West Seventh entertainment district.
“I commend FWPD for taking swift action to prevent more lives from being lost,” Parker said.