HALTOM CITY, TX — A North Texas father lured his 6-year-old daughter and her mother to a school parking lot with promises of money before shooting them both dead in what police called a premeditated ambush stemming from a custody dispute.
John Mbuyi, 30, killed 33-year-old Raissa Thatukila and his own daughter, Nathy Mbuyi, outside Birdville Stadium on Friday afternoon before turning the gun on himself. The shooting occurred around 4:30 p.m. in the 6100 block of East Belknap, near the Birdville ISD administrative offices. Police said Mbuyi had carefully planned the attack in advance, harboring significant grievances toward Thatukila amid an ongoing custody battle over their daughter.
Evidence revealed Mbuyi was experiencing personal distress following his father’s recent death and had expressed concerning thoughts about death prior to the shooting. Family members told CBS News Texas that Mbuyi had moved to the United States with his father less than a decade ago and described him as a loving father who adored his daughter, making the violence shocking to them. They said they were unaware of any ongoing dispute between Mbuyi and Thatukila. “This was not a spontaneous incident but a deliberate act of violence,” the Haltom City Police Department said in a statement Monday. “Based on the evidence, detectives have concluded this was not a spontaneous incident but a deliberate act of violence.”
Crime scene images from aerial footage showed multiple emergency vehicles surrounding a white car and U-Haul van cordoned off with police tape in the stadium parking lot. Two female victims were found in the car, with one dying at the scene and the other succumbing to injuries at a local hospital. Mbuyi’s body was discovered in the parking lot. Jacque Hall, a bus driver who witnessed the aftermath as her shift ended, described the scene as heart-wrenching. “You cannot pass by here anymore and not think about these families that their lives were lost, and especially, this child,” Hall said. Police were dispatched to the location shortly before 4:30 p.m. Friday after reports of gunshots.
Nathy Mbuyi was a kindergarten student at Cheney Hills Elementary School, located near the shooting scene. Birdville ISD confirmed the victim’s enrollment and expressed devastation over the loss. Principal Cheryl Waddell said in a statement that the district was heartbroken the tragedy occurred in their community. Crisis counselors were made available at the school beginning Monday and will remain as long as needed to support students, teachers and families coping with the tragedy. The district sent letters to Cheney Hills families Friday notifying them of counseling resources and the loss of their student.
The Haltom City Police Department announced Monday it will not release additional information about the incident, citing respect for the victims’ family and friends. “This decision is intended to allow those impacted the space and privacy needed to grieve and begin the process of healing,” the department stated. No criminal charges will be filed since the suspected shooter died by suicide. The case remains under investigation by Haltom City detectives, though police have concluded their preliminary findings about the premeditated nature of the attack.
A memorial grew throughout the weekend in the parking lot outside the Birdville ISD administration building, with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals piling up in tribute to the victims. Caleb Badibanga, who knew Thatukila through work, visited the memorial Sunday to pay his respects. He described her as kind, caring and loving, and called Nathy beautiful and bright. “Memories never go away. She still lives in my head — her and her child. I cherish every moment that I had to spend with them,” Badibanga said. “There’s a lot I can say but I don’t know where to start and where to finish, but they were really important to me, and I’m really broken right now.”
The investigation has been completed with police determining the motive centered on the custody dispute and Mbuyi’s personal distress. No further police action is expected in the case, and the department has closed its active investigation into the murder-suicide.
