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NY Post
New York Post
2 Sep 2023


NextImg:Gunman who killed TCU student Wes Smith says he would have shot others

A college student was randomly gunned down outside a bar in Texas by a shooter who allegedly told police he would have killed others — if he hadn’t run out of bullets.

Wes Smith, a junior at Texas Christian University, was standing on the sidewalk near the bar Your Mom’s House in Fort Worth’s West 7th District shortly after 1 a.m. Friday when Matthew Purdy approached him, cops said in an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Purdy, 21, briefly chatted with Smith, also 21 — before shooting the former football player, police said.

Purdy then fled.

Smith was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 1:45 a.m., cops said.

Smith wasn’t the only one Purdy allegedly assaulted, with two people telling cops after the shooting that the gunman had charged at them and hit one of them in the back of the head, according to the affidavit.

TCU student Wes Smith was fatally shot by a stranger Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Twitter/@the_lewt

Cops later found Purdy in a nearby parking lot and put him in the back of a patrol car after patting him down.

One of the officers, however, eventually noticed Purdy in the back of the vehicle holding the handle of a pistol, according to the affidavit.

The accused shooter, believed to have hidden the gun in his crotch, had taken apart the pistol and chucked pieces of the weapon out of the vehicle when the officer opened the door to check on him, according to the affidavit.

Police stand guard at a shooting site surrounded by yellow caution tape, with a police vehicle in the background.
The shooting occurred shortly after 1 a.m. in Fort Worth’s West 7th District.
WFAA

Cops also found what appeared to be fresh blood on a backpack he had been carrying, according to the document.

Purdy, who did not know Smith, admitted to police he shot the victim three times: in the stomach, the shoulder, and, once he was on the ground, in the back of the head “because he wanted to make sure he was dead,” authorities said. 

The shooter told police he didn’t have a “clear reason” for killing Smith and only opened fire after asking the victim whether he knew his father, who had been assaulted in the area, according to the affidavit.  

A formal portrait of the victim, Wes Smith
Smith had been standing near the bar “Your Momma’s House” when he was fatally gunned down.
Linkedin
A mugshot of the accused shooter, Matthew Purdy.
Matthew Purdy did not know Smith before shooting him, according to police.
Fort Worth Police

He would’ve also shot a bystander if he hadn’t already run out of ammunition, Purdy allegedly said.

Smith, originally from Germantown, Tenn., was a finance major and a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity at TCU, according to his LinkedIn profile.

During his freshman year, he was a free safety for the university’s Horned Frogs football team.   

While attending St. George’s Independent School in Memphis for high school, Smith was captain of his football and basketball teams.

He was named the Tennessee DII-AA West Defensive Player of the year for football, the Star-Telegram reported.

An action photo of Wes Smith running on a football field while wearing the TCU uniform.
Smith had been a free safety for TCU’s Horned Frogs football team his freshman year.
Twitter/@Wes_Smith13

The late student’s family told the outlet he was “an amazing and loving son, brother, cousin and friend.”

“We are heartbroken by his passing and ask for the space to grieve during this terribly difficult time,” his family said in a statement.

Purdy, who was charged with murder, had been on probation in an aggravated robbery case in Tarrant County.

He was transferred to Tarrant County Jail and his bond was set at $500,000.