TCU will host a vigil Wednesday night for a student who was shot and killed last week outside a bar in the West 7th District. Police say the shooting of Wes Smith, 21, was random.
Police say Smith was standing outside the bar, Your Mom's House, near Bledsoe and Norwood about one a.m. Friday. They say officers heard gunshots and ran toward the area, finding Smith had been shot three times.
They arrested a suspect nearby. Wednesday morning, Matthew Purdy, 21, was still listed in the Tarrant County Jail on a charge of murder with $500,000 bond.
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TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini ordered flags at half staff on campus Wednesday in Smith's memory.
"Those closest to Wes describe him as an All-American guy, engaged student, a kind friend, an athlete, a community volunteer and an exceptional leader," Dr. Kathy Cavins-Tull, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, wrote in an email to students and parents. "His fraternity brothers describe Wes as a role model to all and a man with infectious energy whose presence would light up a room. His faith was important to him and helping others lean into their faith was a passion for Wes developed by his close-knit family. His leadership will be missed on our campus."
Cavins-Tull said Smith was majoring in finance in the Neely School of Business. She said he also led Bible studies at Young Life and Reformed University Fellowship and was a volunteer football coach at All Saints Episcopal School.
She said TCU will host a vigil at Frog Fountain Wednesday at 8 p.m.
"When we lose a student, it is our custom to hold a candlelight vigil at Frog Fountain. The water is stilled and we spend some time in reflection, remembering the one we have lost," Cavins-Tull wrote.
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