DALLAS, TX – An argument over an alcoholic beverage escalated into a fatal shooting Monday afternoon, leaving a daughter dead and her mother in custody on a murder charge, according to Dallas police.
Authorities responded to a residence on Green Cove Lane in southwest Dallas just before 4 p.m., after a 911 call reported a shooting. Officers found 28-year-old Tabatha Jones suffering from a gunshot wound inside a bedroom. Despite efforts to save her, Jones later died at a local hospital.
Investigators say the confrontation began as an argument between Jones and her mother, 49-year-old Shanika Battle, over who had consumed whose liquor. The disagreement quickly grew heated, and police believe Battle retrieved a gun from her purse during the altercation.
According to court documents, Jones herself called 911, identifying her mother as the shooter. Responding officers arrived at the home within minutes, in part because they were already nearby on an unrelated call. When police entered, Battle and Jones were the only two people inside.
A search warrant executed at the scene eventually led detectives to a pistol found in the living room near Battle’s purse, as well as a spent .380-caliber shell casing located just outside the bedroom where Jones was found. Police say Battle admitted to owning the firearm but insisted she only intended to scare her daughter, not to fire the weapon.
During interviews with detectives, Battle described the argument as stemming from her taking Jones’s alcohol, which she said provoked her daughter to begin entering other rooms in the house. The details of whether the dispute became physical remain unclear, based on the conflicting statements from the involved parties.
Authorities note that the evidence gathered so far suggests Battle removed the pistol from her purse during the argument, leading up to the single, fatal shot. No other individuals were present in the home at the time.
Battle was arrested at the scene and booked into Dallas County Jail, where she remains held without bond as the case continues under investigation.