Campus Alert Archive
A&M-Commerce

Two sisters fatally shot in a residence hall; suspect arrested the next day

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
TXshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
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Confirmed Threat

On Monday, February 3, 2020, two sisters (19-year-old Texas A&M-Commerce freshman Deja Matts and her 20-year-old sister Abbaney Matts) were shot and killed inside a room at the Pride Rock residence hall. Abbaney's 2-year-old son was also shot but survived. A student at the dorm called police at approximately 10:17 a.m. CST, and within minutes the university issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place via its Lion Alert system, describing 'an active criminal investigation' rather than an active shooter. The order was lifted around 1:30 PM CST; classes were canceled the remainder of that day and the following two days.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
2
Injured
1
Institution
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Public R2 · TX
All A&M-Commerce cases →
~12,000 studentsLion Alert
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimCBS19 quoting Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Alert verbatim253 chars
A&M-Commerce UPD is actively investigating three gunshot victims in Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus. Students, faculty and staff are instructed to take shelter and stay in place until further notice. This is a precautionary measure.
Notable for naming the specific building (Pride Rock Residence Hall) and the casualty count ('three gunshot victims') in the initial message, a level of specificity many universities avoid in first alerts
Framed as an 'active criminal investigation' rather than 'active shooter', language that reflected dispatch's early read that this was a targeted incident with no continuing campus-wide threat
The word 'precautionary' appears in the same SMS as a confirmed casualty count, an unusual juxtaposition that hints at how quickly campus police had assessed the scene
ALL CLEARSMS
Wording not preservedReconstructed from KSAT and Washington Post reporting that the shelter-in-place was lifted around 1:30 PM CST, about three hours after the 10:17 AM CST 911 call, and that classes were canceled for the rest of the day
A all clear message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

A&M-Commerce UPD is actively investigating three gunshot victims in Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus. Students, faculty and staff are instructed to take shelter and stay in place until further notice. This is a precautionary measure.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the source is present: it names A&M-Commerce UPD as the issuing and investigating authority.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", identifying the source.
    2. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the issuing authority.
    3. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the issuing authority.
    4. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD" as the investigating authority.
    5. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    6. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the issuing authority.
    7. present: "A&M-Commerce UPD" is named as the investigating authority.
    8. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", identifying the sender.
    9. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    10. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    11. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    12. present: "A&M-Commerce UPD" is named as the investigating authority.
    13. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    14. present: "A&M-Commerce UPD" is named as the investigating authority.
    15. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the responding authority.
    16. present: "A&M-Commerce UPD" identifies the issuing authority.
    17. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    18. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD" as the investigating authority.
    19. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD" as the investigating authority.
    20. present: The text identifies "A&M-Commerce UPD" as the investigating authority.
    21. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
    22. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", identifying the issuing police agency.
    23. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD" as the investigating authority.
    24. present: "A&M-Commerce UPD" identifies the issuing authority.
    25. present: It names "A&M-Commerce UPD", the investigating authority.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement the hazard is present: it names three gunshot victims, a specific shooting threat.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    2. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    3. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    4. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    5. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    6. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    7. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    8. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting threat.
    9. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting threat.
    10. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    11. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    12. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    13. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    14. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting threat.
    15. present: It reports "three gunshot victims", a specific threat.
    16. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    17. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    18. present: It names "three gunshot victims," a specific shooting hazard.
    19. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting threat.
    20. present: It names the hazard: "three gunshot victims".
    21. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    22. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting threat.
    23. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    24. present: It names "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
    25. present: It cites "three gunshot victims", a specific shooting hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the location is present, citing Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It says "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    2. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    3. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    4. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus".
    5. present: It names "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    6. present: It says "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    7. present: It locates them "in Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", specific places.
    8. present: It names "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    9. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    10. present: It says "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    11. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    12. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    13. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    14. present: It locates it in "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus".
    15. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    16. present: It locates it "in Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus".
    17. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a precise location.
    18. present: It cites "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus," a specific place.
    19. present: It locates it "in Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus".
    20. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus".
    21. present: It says "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    22. present: It names "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific place.
    23. present: It names "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a specific location.
    24. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a named location.
    25. present: It specifies "Pride Rock Residence Hall on the A&M-Commerce campus", a precise location.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement guidance is present: it instructs people to take shelter and stay in place until further notice.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    2. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    3. present: It instructs students, faculty, and staff to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    4. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice".
    5. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    6. present: It instructs to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    7. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    8. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice".
    9. present: It instructs recipients to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    10. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    11. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    12. present: It instructs recipients to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    13. present: It instructs recipients to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    14. present: It instructs to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    15. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    16. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    17. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
    18. present: It instructs recipients to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice."
    19. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    20. present: It instructs students, faculty, and staff to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice".
    21. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    22. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice."
    23. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    24. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", a protective action.
    25. present: It instructs people to "take shelter and stay in place until further notice", protective actions.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree time is present: it says until further notice, a recency and duration cue.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It says "until further notice", a recency/timing cue.
    2. present: "until further notice" conveys a recency or duration cue.
    3. present: It says "until further notice", a duration cue.
    4. present: "until further notice" conveys a duration cue.
    5. present: It says to stay "until further notice", a recency/duration cue.
    6. present: It cites "until further notice", a recency cue.
    7. present: "until further notice" conveys a timing reference.
    8. present: "actively investigating" and "until further notice" convey present-time recency.
    9. present: "until further notice" is a timing cue.
    10. present: It says "until further notice", a recency/duration cue.
    11. present: It uses "until further notice", a recency cue.
    12. present: "until further notice" conveys a timing cue.
    13. present: It says to stay "until further notice", a recency and duration cue.
    14. present: "actively investigating" and "until further notice" convey recency/duration.
    15. present: It says "actively investigating" and "until further notice", recency cues.
    16. present: "until further notice" conveys a recency cue.
    17. present: The phrase "until further notice" conveys an ongoing time frame.
    18. present: "until further notice" conveys duration/recency.
    19. present: It says to stay "until further notice", a recency or duration cue.
    20. present: It uses "until further notice", a recency cue.
    21. present: It uses "until further notice", a duration/recency cue.
    22. present: "until further notice" conveys a recency and duration cue.
    23. present: It says to stay "until further notice", a recency/duration cue.
    24. present: "until further notice" conveys an open ended timing cue.
    25. present: It says "until further notice", a recency and duration cue.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimous. All 25 reads agree the alert states three gunshot victims in the residence hall, a clearly stated harm to people.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Reports three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    2. present: States three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    3. present: States three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    4. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a clear stated harm to people.
    5. present: Reports three gunshot victims which states actual harm to people.
    6. present: States three gunshot victims, which is a reported harm to people, conveying serious impact.
    7. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people.
    8. present: It reports three gunshot victims, which is a stated harm to people.
    9. present: Reports three gunshot victims which is a stated harm to people.
    10. present: States three gunshot victims, an explicit reported harm to people.
    11. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    12. present: It reports three gunshot victims, which is a stated harm to people.
    13. present: It reports three gunshot victims, which is a stated harm to people.
    14. present: It reports three gunshot victims, which is a stated harm to people.
    15. present: States three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    16. present: States three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    17. present: The text reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people that satisfies impact.
    18. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people.
    19. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people.
    20. present: States three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    21. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people.
    22. present: The text states three gunshot victims, a clearly stated harm to people.
    23. present: States three gunshot victims, an explicit reported harm to people.
    24. present: It reports three gunshot victims, a stated harm to people.
    25. present: It reports three gunshot victims, which is a clearly stated harm to people.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

On the morning of Monday, February 3, 2020, Texas A&M University-Commerce became the site of a targeted double homicide inside a freshman residence hall. At approximately 10:17 a.m. CST, a student living in Pride Rock (a three-story suite-style residence hall that opened in 2018) called university police to report gunshots. Officers arrived to find sisters Deja Matts (19), a public-health freshman from Garland, and Abbaney Matts (20) dead in a dorm room; Abbaney's 2-year-old son was also shot but survived. The university's Lion Alert system issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place naming the building and the casualty count, an unusually specific first message. Police later characterized the killing as 'targeted and isolated,' and the shelter-in-place was lifted around 1:30 PM CST, about three hours after the 10:17 a.m. CST 911 call. The suspect, 21-year-old Jacques Dshawn Smith (believed to be Abbaney's ex-boyfriend, and not a student at the university) was arrested the following day and charged with capital murder; he was later charged with a second, unrelated murder in Denton. Classes were canceled for the remainder of the day and the next two days.
Analysis

Key Findings

Texas A&M-Commerce's first alert named the specific building and the casualty count within minutes, a level of specificity rare in initial campus shelter-in-place messages, made possible because campus police were already on-scene confirming a contained crime scene
Framing the incident as an 'active criminal investigation' rather than an 'active shooter' reflected an early correct assessment that this was a targeted homicide with no continuing threat to other students, a distinction that influenced both the calm tone of the alert and the roughly three-hour, same-afternoon resolution
The shooting prompted no statewide policy changes despite occurring at a residence hall, reflecting how 'targeted' framings (even for double homicides on campus) typically do not generate the regulatory response that 'active shooter' incidents do
Outcome
Suspect Jacques Dshawn Smith, 21, the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts, was arrested the next day and charged with capital murder. Smith was not a student. The 2-year-old toddler was treated and released to family. Police characterized the shooting as 'targeted and isolated' rather than a campus-wide threat. The shelter-in-place was lifted around 1:30 PM CST; classes were canceled for the remainder of the week. Smith was later charged with an additional murder in a December 2019 Denton shooting, and in May 2023 he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison plus 35 years.
Reception

Community Response

How the campus community received and interpreted the alert(s), in their own words.

Positively received

A student told Houston Public Media that the campus took the Lion Alert shelter-in-place emails seriously from the very first message, crediting heightened vigilance after a recent off-campus shooting in nearby Greenville.

“I think people were taking it very serious from the very first email because... because of the Greenville incident.”
— Jack Simonek, Texas A&M-Commerce student· Houston Public MediaView source

Reactions to the alert, drawn from press coverage; follow each link to verify. Quotes are reproduced from reporting and not independently re-confirmed against the original source.

Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Classes canceled, shelter in place issued at Texas A&M-Commerce as university police work 'active criminal investigation' (CBS19)
    cbs19.tv
    archived copy
  2. News
    Texas A&M-Commerce shooting: Two dead, investigation ongoing (Texas Tribune)
    texastribune.org
    archived copy
  3. News
    Garland sisters identified as victims in Texas A&M-Commerce shooting (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
    nbcdfw.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    2 women killed, child hurt in shooting at Texas A&M-Commerce dormitory (KSAT)
    ksat.com
    archived copy
  5. News
    Sisters dead in 'targeted, isolated' shooting at Texas A&M-Commerce dorm (ABC News)
    abcnews.go.com
    archived copy
  6. News
    Texas A&M-Commerce shooting suspect charged with additional murder in Denton (KERA News)
    keranews.org
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Texas A&M University-Commerce: Two sisters fatally shot in a residence hall; suspect arrested the next day." Incident of February 3, 2020. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/texas-am-commerce-pride-rock-shooting-2020-02-03/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
shootingresidence-halltargeted-violencedomestic-violencetexaspride-rockfataltwo-fatalitiesex-partner-violence2020
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion