Police continued searching Tuesday for a second young man accused in the targeted killing of 22-year-old Erma Elansia Qualls.
FORNEY, Texas — One of two suspects accused of fatally shooting a 22-year-old woman inside a Forney home has been taken into custody, while local and federal authorities continue searching for the second man, police said.
Forney police identified the victim as Erma Elansia Qualls. Officers found her dead Sunday afternoon inside a residence in the 300 block of Eagle Ridge. Police described the shooting as a targeted attack and said the suspects knew Qualls and other people who were at the home. A child was present when the shooting occurred, according to police, but authorities have not released the child’s age or relationship to the victim.
Investigators identified the suspects as 18-year-old Jakub East-Walker and 19-year-old Mysiah Dymond Clark. Police said East-Walker was taken into custody Monday and faces a murder charge. Details about where he was arrested, whether he surrendered and the conditions of his detention had not been released as of Tuesday.
Clark remained at large. Police said he has connections to Dallas and Mesquite, and the U.S. Marshals Service was assisting with the search. Authorities warned that he should not be approached. Police Chief Carrie White said anyone who sees Clark should immediately contact law enforcement, regardless of the city in which he is found.
Police believe East-Walker and Clark left the Eagle Ridge area on foot before getting into a vehicle. Investigators have not said who provided the vehicle or whether another person could face charges for helping them leave. White said officers were reviewing home surveillance recordings and information from license plate-reading cameras as they worked to reconstruct the suspects’ movements.
Authorities have not disclosed what led to the shooting. Police have not announced whether a weapon was recovered, how the two suspects entered the home or who fired the fatal shot. They also have not said how many other people were inside the residence. The investigation remains active, and the allegations against both men have not been proven in court.
The shooting marked Forney’s first reported homicide of the year, according to city officials. White described the attack as isolated and said police did not believe there was a continuing threat to the wider Eagle Ridge neighborhood. Officers initially searched the surrounding area before determining that the suspects had probably left in a vehicle.
The case has drawn attention in the fast-growing Kaufman County city, where new housing and commercial development have brought a sharp rise in population. City officials said Forney had 58 full-time police officers, up from 41 officers at the time of a 2023 staffing study, though several positions remained vacant.
Clark is also charged with murder in a separate Dallas case involving the April 2025 shooting death of a 15-year-old boy. Dallas police said the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested Clark in July 2025 in connection with that case. Court records cited by local news organizations showed that he was later released on bond with electronic monitoring.
Police said Clark was accused of violating the monitoring program by making unauthorized stops in Mesquite. An arrest warrant was issued before the Forney shooting, authorities said. The Dallas case is still pending, and Clark is presumed innocent unless convicted.
East-Walker remained in custody Tuesday as investigators continued gathering evidence and searching for Clark. Police had not announced a possible motive, additional arrests or a date for East-Walker’s next court appearance.
Author note: Last updated July 28, 2026.