A Texas father was fatally shot in front of his wife and sister after a confrontation that began following a softball game, with relatives alleging that racial slurs were directed at him before the gunfire.
Jarmon Mattix, a father of three, was killed Sunday after a dispute broke out during a softball game in Humble, Texas, before continuing in a nearby parking lot.
The cause of the confrontation between the two groups remains unclear. Four people were shot in the incident, Harris County homicide detective sergeant Sidney Miller told reporters, while children were among those who witnessed the violence.
Mattix, 36, worked as a commercial driver’s license truck driver and was pronounced dead at the scene. His sister, Destiny Williams, said his wife and mother-in-law were among those injured, KPRC reported.
“[The shooter] shot my brother right in front of me and my mother,” she said.
“My sister-in-law was on top of him, trying to give him CPR.”
Police have not confirmed Mattix’s relationship to the injured victims. Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
An unidentified man was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Investigators are still working to establish what led to the shooting, while Mattix’s family has raised concerns that racism may have played a role.
Williams said she heard the shooter and another man direct “different racial slurs” at her older brother shortly before he was killed.
“My brother was targeted and it’s just a devastating situation we’re in right now,” she told KPRC.
“My brother… didn’t have [a criminal] record. It’s the fact… sometimes being black, it can happen like that.”
Investigators have not determined whether the shooting was racially motivated, but Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the allegation “will be looked into.” He described the violence as “senseless.”
Williams, visibly angered by the killing, urged police to “do [their] job.”
“Black. Brown. White. Blue,” she said. “It doesn’t matter. We all are people.”
Police have identified two suspects, although it remains unclear whether charges have been filed.
