An arrest has been made after a triple shooting at an apartment complex in Dallas left two sisters dead and a man hospitalized early Saturday morning.
Saadiq Shabazz, 25, is charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 22-year-old Jalisa Lockett and 24-year-old Amaya Lockett, according to the Dallas Police Department.
Dallas Police officers responded to the 2400 block of N. Washington Avenue around 3 a.m. on Saturday after reports of a shooting at the Broadstone Paragon Apartments.
When authorities arrived at the scene, police said they found the bodies of Jalisa and Amaya, who both had been mortally wounded by gunfire. They also found another man, Moises Flores, who was suffering from two gunshot wounds.
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Flores was rushed to Baylor Hospital and is in stable condition.
According to an arrest affidavit, Flores told authorities that he was Amaya's boyfriend and had known Shabazz for several months because Shabazz dated Jalisa, Amaya's sister.
The witness further stated that they were all hanging out at the apartment when Shabazz and Jalisa argued, making them enter one of the bedrooms.
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Shabazz and Jalisa entered another bedroom, where the argument continued. Flores informed the police that shortly after, he and Amaya heard several gunshots from the other room.
When Amaya went to check on her sister, Shabazz reportedly came out of the bedroom and fatally shot the 24-year-old woman. He then turned the gun on Flores and shot him twice.
The wounded victim said he was able to escape back to the bedroom and barricaded himself inside before calling 911.
Shabazz fled the scene and was later found in Fort Worth. Dallas Police said Shabazz admitted to shooting the victims and told detectives that he fired at the victims out of "rage" but did not mean to kill them.
The family of the two sisters is now mourning the unexpected loss, with their father telling NBC 5 the incident still doesn’t feel real.
Jaunci Lockett said his daughters were unique: Amaya Lockett was a quiet introvert who liked board games, while Jalisa Lockett was the outgoing one who friends constantly surrounded.
The sisters shared an apartment in Dallas, where each had a young child: Amaya was mother to a 10-month-old boy, and Jalisa had a two-year-old daughter.
“They were both kind of becoming mothers and understanding that,” said Jaunci.
On Saturday morning, the sisters’ family started getting calls from friends saying something was happening at their apartment.
“We were trying to call and not getting in contact with anybody, we just went to their apartment and met with the police, and they kind of told us the situation going on. And wound up going downtown, and they told us what happened; they told us that they were both deceased.”
Dallas Police told the family that Amaya and Jalisa Lockett had been shot and killed and that Jalisa’s boyfriend, 25-year-old Saadiq Shabazz, was charged with murdering them.
“It was unreal. It was really like, what are you talking about? No, I just saw them yesterday.”
The sisters’ father said the family had been concerned about Shabazz in the past, and Jalisa had recently expressed a desire to end their relationship.
Jaunci said he wants to see Shabazz punished for what he did to Jalisa and Amaya.
“I just want justice to be served not only for my daughters but for my grandchildren,” said Jaunci. “Whatever that means under the color of law, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
As they grieved, the family faced the challenge of arranging funerals for two young women and still not knowing why this tragedy happened.
“Right now, it’s just as a family; we’re all trying to process what’s going on."
The deadly shooting is still under investigation. Anyone who wants to support the Lockett family in the wake of the fatal incident can donate to their GoFundMe.
