TCU student killed in random act of violence honored with vigil
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Outside TCU's Frog Fountain, hundreds gathered for a private vigil.
The community is heartbroken, unable to process the loss of Wes Smith, a junior at the university.
"He was really positive and everything," said Oliver Bennett. "He was always there and really funny and stuff."
All Saints middle schooler Oliver Bennett says Smith was his football coach and an inspiring, dedicated Christian.
The team last saw him at their first game last Thursday. Just a few hours later, Smith was fatally shot in a parking lot in the West 7th district.
00:13:20 "It was really sad," Bennett said. "We all just mourned together and we prayed and stuff."
Smith was a finance major at the Neeley School of Business.
"I had seen him on Thursday afternoon and so we were going into the holiday weekend and the last thing I said was, 'Hey everyone, have a safe weekend, but be careful, it's the first game, it's the holiday weekend," said Ken Corbit, TCU Marketing professor who taught Smith. "And on the way out Wes gave me a fist bump and smiled at me."
Now, police say 21-year-old Matthew Purdy admitted to killing him in a random shooting. He's in jail on a murder charge.
"A lot of us were down there that same night, that could've been one of us," said Jeremiah Witkop, a TCU student. "We got to be grateful for every day that we're alive and thank God that we're here today."
Witkop says that's what this vigil is about.
"TCU is a community and we all just want to show love and support," he added.
The university expanded the hours its counseling center will be open. Students can drop in through Thursday.
