Police Make Arrest In Deadly UT Southwestern Shooting
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A man is in custody for the deadly shooting that happened Tuesday night in a parking garage on the UT Southwestern Medical Center campus in Dallas.
Ferdinand Glen Smith has been arrested and charged in relation to the shooting death of Karen Smith.
Just before 8 a.m. someone called Dallas police and reported they had heard gunshots. Responding officers soon found Smith's body on the floor of the 4th level of the garage. The 40-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say she had been shot "multiple times."
The parking garage is typically used by UTSW staff and is located in the center of campus, off of Harry Hines Boulevard and Inwood Road.
Karen Smith was an executive assistant to UTSW Dr. Bruce Meyer. Ferdinand Smith, 41, was her estranged husband.
UT Southwestern officials issued a statement Wednesday morning saying they were "deeply saddened" by Karen Smith's death and that the shooting was "an isolated domestic incident." President Daniel Podolsky said Karen Smith was, "...a highly valued colleague who took great pride in being part of the UTSW community. She leaves behind four children among her grieving family."
Podolsky ended a print statement saying -
"Finally, I am sure I speak for everyone on this campus in expressing our condolences to all those grieving the loss of our colleague Karen Smith – her family, friends and co-workers. While funeral arrangements have not yet been settled, I hope all will keep Karen and her family in their thoughts and prayers. Please take a moment to realize how precious all of those who surround you here at UT Southwestern are and how fortunate we are to have each other as colleagues."
After the shooting, UTSW sent a campus wide text message alerting medical students and staff of the situation and the campus was placed on lockdown, while police searched for the shooting suspect.
Police records show Ferdinand Smith received probation for an Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon charge in 1999. That same year Karen Smith applied for and was granted a temporary protective order against her husband. In her application she cited years of domestic violence in their relationship. Karen Smith claimed that through the years Ferdinand had not only given her a busted lip, black eyes, and bruises, but had once raped her and on another occasion choked her to the point of unconsciousness.
