EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The 6-year-old stepson of a Fort Bliss soldier, who was recently arrested for shooting and killing another man in February, witnessed the murder saying,” Daddy shot the gun,” and “Daddy shot the guy,” according to court documents obtained by KTSM.
Eric Lamarr Mathis, 24, was arrested on Monday, March 24, and charged with murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Edward Daquan Smith.
As we previously reported, Fort Bliss confirmed that both the suspect and the victim were soldiers at the Army post. Fort Bliss said Mathis is a specialist assigned to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, while Smith was a private assigned to the 1st Armored Division.
According to court documents, shortly before midnight on Friday, Feb. 28, El Paso Police received an emergency call at the 2100 block of Setting Sun Drive in East El Paso. Multiple callers reported “numerous” shots fired.
Upon arrival, officers located Smith unresponsive on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared dead at the scene, according to court documents.
According to court documents, shortly after that incident, El Paso Police received an additional call of another gunshot victim, later identified as Mathis, who had been dropped off at the El Paso Emergency Room in East El Paso.
Investigators obtained witness statements saying that a house party occurred at an Airbnb on the 2100 block of Setting Sun Drive. Two witnesses said they were with Smith and another “subject” when they arrived at the party. They said they were in “close proximity” to where the incident occurred, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the witnesses said Smith was confronted by Mathis and a co-defendant, whose identity is not properly identified in the documents, on the street in front of the party.
The confrontation resulted in multiple shots being fired by Mathis, the co-defendant, and Smith. Witnesses observed Mathis and the “subject” fleeing the scene in a maroon car, according to court documents.
According to court documents, one of the witnesses said Mathis and the co-defendant were the ones who shot Smith, saying that after the initial shots were fired and while Smith was on the ground, she observed the co-defendant standing over Smith and shooting him multiple times.
Investigators obtained video footage from the area, which captured the maroon car and another tan-colored car fleeing the scene, according to court documents.
According to court documents, several projectiles and spent casings were collected from the scene.
Based on witness statements, investigators were able to identify the driver of the tan-colored car and the driver of the maroon car that fled the scene. “All parties involved were active-duty Army soldiers stationed at Fort Bliss,” according to court documents.
According to court documents, the driver and owner of the tan-colored car agreed to provide a statement to investigators and said he received a call from Mathis to pick him up from the Airbnb.
He said that he and a female friend arrived at Setting Sun in the tan-colored car when they began to hear gunshots ring out. He added that they fled the scene and shortly thereafter, Mathis contacted him and arranged to meet at a gas station nearby, according to court documents.
According to court documents, they met with Mathis, Mathis’ stepson, and the driver of the maroon car at the gas station. From there, the driver of the tan-colored car drove Mathis to the El Paso Emergency Room to be treated for an arm injury.
The driver of the tan-colored car said he and the other driver later met at his own apartment and attempted to clean the interior and exterior of both vehicles. He also said there were firearms located inside his apartment, but denied that they were used in the shooting. He was then arrested on outstanding traffic warrants, according to court documents.
According to court documents, during an inventory of his arrest, a receipt for an AR-15 rifle was located.
According to court documents, the driver of the maroon car agreed to provide a statement to investigators and said he was present when Smith and Mathis got into the altercation. He said he observed when the two began to fire weapons at each other.
He also admitted to driving the maroon car with Mathis and Mathis’ stepson after the shooting. He said that they met with the tan-colored driver at a nearby gas station, and Mathis and his stepson moved to the other vehicle, according to court documents.
According to court documents, a search warrant was obtained for the apartment, the tan-colored car, and the maroon car, the following items were collected as evidence:
- Apartment: AR-15 rifle with suspected blood, several 300 blk ammo rounds (consistent with casings that were located at the scene), and multiple items of clothing with suspected blood worn by involved parties.
- Tan-colored car: Photographs and suspected blood.
- Maroon car: A buttstock for an AR-15, AR-15 accessories, suspected blood, and two bullet fragments.
Additionally, a forensic interview was conducted with the 6-year-old child witness. He said he saw Mathis with a big gun, shooting a gun, and saying, “Daddy shot the gun” and “Daddy shot the guy,” according to court documents.
According to court documents, when Mathis was released from the hospital he agreed to meet with investigators. He said that he was shot while at the address of occurrence and denied having any involvement other than getting shot.
A chief medical examiner determined the manner of them for Smith to be a homicide. Smith has several gunshot wounds: two in the head, five on the torso area, and one on the left thigh, according to court documents.
Read: Read More