A Texas man ambushed his 6-year-old daughter and her mother in a parking lot at Birdville Stadium before he died by suicide, police confirmed.
Three days after the shooting took place on Friday, March 27, the Haltom City Police Department identified 30-year-old John Mbuyi as the shooter on Monday, March 30. Meanwhile, the victims have been identified as 33-year-old Raissa Thatukila and their 6-year-old daughter, Nathy Mbuyi, according to CBS News Texas.
Police said that Mbuyi got the victims to agree to meet him on the pretense of giving them money. It’s believed the shooting was “carefully planned in advance” amid an ongoing custody dispute between Mbuyi and Thatukila.
Additionally, police found evidence that Mbuyi “harbored significant grievances” toward Thatukila.
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It has also been determined that the shooting was a deliberate act of violence, with police saying that Mbuyi was “experiencing personal distress following the death of his father and expressed concerning thoughts related to death.”
Before the shooter and victims were identified, Haltom City police said that a man drove up to a parked vehicle in the Birdville Stadium parking lot and argued with a woman as a child remained in the vehicle. He then fired into the vehicle and killed both the woman and child before he died by suicide.
Police reported to the scene and found the man outside of the vehicle, while the woman and child were inside. All three of them were suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the females was taken to a hospital and later died. Meanwhile, the other female was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said that medics treated the man, but he also died soon after.
“Police have confirmed that the incident is isolated and not related to Birdville ISD,” Birdville ISD said in a statement after the shooting. “The district had no activities scheduled at the stadium or at any nearby facility at the time of the incident. We are heartbroken this has occurred in our community, and we are working closely with Haltom City police as they investigate this incident. The area is secure.”
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Following the shooting, Mbuyi’s family told CBS News Texas that he had moved to the United States with his father less than a decade ago. They added that they were unaware of any ongoing dispute between him and Thatukila and they insisted that he was a loving father.
Birdville ISD confirmed that one of their kindergarten students at Cheney Hills Elementary School was a victim in the shooting.
“We are devastated by the loss of one of our students and heartbroken that this tragedy occurred in our community,” Principal Cheryl Waddell said in a statement, per the outlet.
The district also said that they made crisis counselors available at the school on March 30 and they would be around to help students and staff for as long as needed.
