Police say the same suspect struck in Mesquite and Dallas before investigators connected the cases and made an arrest.
DALLAS, Texas — The fatal shootings of two convenience store clerks in North Texas over roughly 24 hours in June 2024 shook workers and families across the region as police alleged one suspect robbed both stores, stole lottery tickets and left behind two devastated communities.
What made the case stand out was not only the speed of the attacks, but the way investigators say they unfolded. Police identified the victims as Muhammad Hussain, 60, killed in Mesquite, and Gopi Krishna Dasari, 32, shot in Dallas and later pronounced dead. Authorities arrested 21-year-old Davonta Mathis after the second shooting and later said evidence pointed to the same man in both crimes. Public records and police statements described a fast-moving investigation spanning two departments, a chase, shifting charges and a motive that officers said centered on robbery and the cash value of stolen lottery tickets.
The first killing happened June 20 at a convenience store off West Bruton Road in Mesquite, where investigators say Hussain was working when the gunman entered. Public reporting based on the arrest affidavit says the suspect later admitted he shot Hussain in the chest and stole lottery tickets. Police said some of those tickets were later cashed in Hillsboro, giving detectives one more thread to follow. The second shooting came early June 22 at the Fox Fuel station on Lake June Road in Dallas. Dallas police said officers were called around 12:30 a.m., found Dasari shot after a robbery and learned the suspect had fled on foot after taking merchandise from the business.
Dasari’s death gave the case a wider emotional reach because relatives and friends were suddenly trying to understand how a man working a night shift in Dallas had become the victim of a major homicide case. WFAA reported that his family was mourning in India after he was killed in the Pleasant Grove robbery. Dallas police said he was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died the next day, prompting detectives to upgrade the case from robbery to capital murder. In public accounts, the name of the gas station and the exact block of Lake June Road became shorthand in local coverage for a crime that many store workers recognized instantly: a lone clerk, late hours and a gunman who moved faster than the victim could react.
Mesquite police said something similar appeared to happen in Hussain’s killing. Sgt. Curtis Phillip told reporters the facts gathered by investigators suggested neither clerk had much, if any, opportunity to comply before being shot. That detail shaped the public understanding of the case. Instead of a robbery spiraling after resistance, police described sudden violence at the start. The affidavit details reported by FOX 4 went further, saying Mathis told detectives he shot Hussain because of the way the clerk looked and because he did not think he would cooperate. Police did not announce any separate bias-related charge in public summaries, but the reported statement deepened the horror surrounding the Mesquite case.
The victims’ names and ages became a central part of the story because they pushed the coverage beyond crime scene tape and mug shots. Hussain was identified as a Carrollton man, a reminder that many clerks commute into late-night retail jobs scattered across the metro area. Dasari’s death brought attention to his family overseas and to the immigrant paths that often place workers in overnight jobs that keep stores open around the clock. The killings also landed in neighborhoods where gas stations are everyday fixtures, places people know by intersection and storefront rather than formal address. That made the crimes feel close and ordinary in the worst sense: these were not isolated compounds or remote highways, but familiar counters and coolers in neighborhoods residents pass every day.
Police say the investigation moved quickly after the Dallas shooting. Less than an hour later, officers tried to stop the vehicle Mathis was driving and the encounter led to a pursuit ending in Mesquite, according to local reports. Authorities said he was arrested there and linked to both shootings. FOX 4 reported that Mathis told detectives he used a stolen truck and a pistol bought illegally for $400. Police also said he admitted the larger goal was to get enough money for an apartment by stealing lottery tickets. That alleged motive added a bleak, almost mundane layer to the case. The amount at stake was small next to the loss of two lives, but investigators said it was enough to drive the robberies.
The legal path that followed reflected the split geography of the case. Dallas police obtained a capital murder warrant after Dasari died, and Mesquite investigators pursued the case involving Hussain. Local news outlets reported that Mathis was being held on multimillion-dollar bond in the Dallas County jail. NBC DFW reported he faced capital murder, murder and evading arrest charges, while later reports described two counts of capital murder and a $7.5 million bond. Another report from CBS Texas cited a higher combined bond and five felony counts. Those differences suggest the docket evolved as prosecutors and police agencies filed, amended and stacked allegations tied to each killing and the chase.
Even with the arrest, the case left open questions that often follow large metro-area homicide investigations. Police said they were looking to see whether other robberies or crimes could be tied to Mathis. Public summaries did not answer whether more witnesses had come forward, whether forensic tests on the weapon or vehicle produced additional links or whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty. The available police statements also did not spell out every item allegedly taken in each robbery beyond lottery tickets and merchandise. Those details, if they become public, would likely surface later through court filings, indictment papers, testimony or pretrial hearings.
What remains clear is the rhythm of the case that North Texas residents saw unfold in public. A clerk was killed in Mesquite. Another was shot in Dallas less than two days later. Detectives in two cities connected the crimes, a suspect was chased and arrested, and the affidavits that followed painted a picture of violence aimed at workers doing routine jobs behind store counters. For the families of Hussain and Dasari, and for clerks who recognized the setting immediately, the case became more than a set of charges. It was a reminder of how quickly a normal overnight shift can turn into a homicide scene and a national headline.
The proceedings now rest with prosecutors and the courts. The next major steps are expected to include indictments, hearings and further disclosure of evidence as the two homicide cases move forward through Dallas County.
Author note: Last updated March 19, 2026.