Student and her sister identified as Texas A&M-Commerce shooting victims, school says
Two sisters died and a toddler was injured in a shooting Monday at a residence hall on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce, school officials said Tuesday.
Deja Matts, a 19-year-old freshman from Garland, Texas, and her 20-year-old sister Abbaney Matts, who wasn’t a student, were identified as the shooting victims in a news release.
Suspect arrested in deadly shooting of sisters at Texas A&M-Commerce dorm, cops say
The 2-year-old son of Abbaney Matts was treated after the shooting and released to the care of family members, officials said.
A student who lives at the dorm called the university’s police department about 10:17 a.m. Monday, Police Chief Bryan Vaughn said during a news conference broadcast on WFAA. Officers found the sisters dead and the 2-year-old injured in a room in the Pride Rock residence hall, Vaughn said.
Police have not publicly identified a suspect.
“There appears to be no other threats,” Vaughn said.
The area is blocked off as police investigate, according to a news release.
The dorm is a three-story residence hall open to freshman students, according to the school website.
Deja Matts was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health, officials said.
“According to the University Police Department, the shooting appears to be a targeted, isolated event,” the school announced Tuesday.
Aerial video from WFAA showed the residence hall was cordoned off with yellow crime-scene tape with several police officers walking outside.
Classes are canceled through Wednesday, the school announced.
Students displaced by the shooting investigation can go to the Rayburn Student Center, and counselors are available, officials said.
The school has about 13,000 students.
In a statement Monday night, the school called the shooting an “isolated incident” and said law enforcement agencies were still investigating. The school increased patrols in student housing areas and across campus, according to the statement.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, friends and students impacted by today’s tragic event,” President Mark Rudin said.
In October, a shooting at an off-campus homecoming party connected to Texas A&M University-Commerce killed two people and injured six others, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. A man was charged but later released, the newspaper reported. The party was not an official school function.
During a vigil for one of the victims, dozens of shots were fired into a crowd, but no one was injured, the Star-Telegram reported.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 1:17 PM.