Dallas Singer Shot Onstage Signing Autographs Breaks Silence: ‘God’s Grace’

Jada Arnell Thomas, the Dallas singer shot while signing autographs at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters on Saturday, has broken her silence on the unprecedented incident.

Following a matinee performance of her show The Bitches, which Thomas, 26 performs with two other women, the suspect Micah Williams, also 26, shot Thomas in the chest.

Thomas was taken to a nearby hospital and Williams was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was taken to the Dallas County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

In an Instagram post Wednesday, Thomas wrote, “God’s grace, mercy, and overwhelming love will NEVER cease to amaze me. Thank you to everyone who has called, texted, and came to see me. love yall so much! This road to recovery will be extremely hard, but my faith in the Lord has NEVER been stronger!”

Thomas has over 21,000 followers on both her Facebook and Instagram pages.

TBAAL founder and president Curtis King told Newsweek on Tuesday that he first met Thomas when her parents brought her to the arts center at age 10.

King said some of his other mentees claimed Williams and Thomas knew each other in 5th grade as they allegedly attended the arts center at the same time.

“They were all at the hospital the other day and they said, ‘Mr. King, this girl was in the summer program,” the students said of Williams.

“Then we started going back. She (Williams) was in the program probably, like, 18 years ago,” he continued. “I don’t remember her coming, but Jada grew up with me.”

TBAAL also posted a statement Tuesday from the singer’s parents, Carlton and Olivia Thomas.

“As many of you are aware, our daughter Jada Arnell Thomas was recently the victim of an unfortunate incident at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, November 2, 2024. She was shot while greeting her fans and graciously autographing the performance program at the end of the 3pm matinee show. Our daughter was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital.”

“By the Grace of GOD and a LOT of prayers from her ardent fan base, friends and loyal social media followers, Jada is progressing very well” they wrote. “She said to us, ‘please let everyone know that I love them and deeply appreciate their prayers for my healing.'”

“While we are incredibly appreciative to everyone’s phone call, email and desire to visit Jada, we ask that you continue to pray for her and our family and give our daughter some time and space to continue her healing! She’ll eventually read and welcome all of the social media posts; however, we have to curtail and limit personal visits. Jada will sing again and it will be because of God’s grace and your prayers. Thank you,” her parents concluded.

In his conversation with Newsweek, King described the shooting as “a slow-motion movie.”

“It was chaotic,” he said. “The whole room just started praying. It was like a big chant.”

King revealed Sunday that TBAAL will implement enhanced safety measures for their future events, including decreasing the number of entry points to focus on preventing weapons from entering their spaces.

“For 48 years, TBAAL has proudly maintained a tradition of safe, family-oriented events and a welcoming environment,” King said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We affirm that our patrons are upstanding citizens who share our commitment to a safe, positive environment for all. As we continue forward, our mission to enrich the community through arts remains unwavering.”

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