A 19-year-old wanted in the fatal shooting of a Forney mother was captured during a Dallas traffic stop, more than a month after the killing sent multiple law enforcement agencies searching for him. Mysiah Clark tried to run from officers before being caught after a short foot pursuit, according to police.
Clark is accused of the July 26 shooting death of Shalansia Erma Qualls, who Forney police say was killed while protecting her child, as reported by the Greenville Chronicle. Dallas police conducted the traffic stop that led to his capture, and he is now being held on a first-degree murder charge. He was captured in Dallas, more than a month after the shooting, following a foot chase that ended with officers taking him into custody.
The FBI requested a hold on Clark for illegal receipt of a firearm, a request tied to his status at the time of the Forney shooting. Clark had already been arrested in July 2025 and charged with murder by Dallas police in connection with the April 19, 2025 shooting death of a 15-year-old boy at a Dallas gas station, according to CBS Texas. He was 18 at the time of that arrest and was later granted a $100,000 bond.
How Clark Became a Fugitive Before the Forney Shooting
Dallas County records show Clark's bond in the 2025 case was revoked after he allegedly cut off his court-mandated electronic ankle monitor on July 2, 2026, roughly three weeks before Qualls was killed. Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(n) makes it illegal for anyone under felony indictment to receive or possess firearms, which established the legal basis for the FBI hold placed on him after his arrest, per the Legal Information Institute.
The Forney Police Department Criminal Investigations Division led the local probe into Qualls' death, with the U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Rangers also participating in the search for Clark. Authorities have not released additional details about the shooting circumstances or what led investigators to identify Clark as the suspect.
A Co-Suspect Was Arrested the Day After the Shooting
Forney police arrested 18-year-old Jakub Lavon East-Walker on July 27, charging him with first-degree murder in connection with Qualls' death, according to CBS Texas. East-Walker was apprehended the day after the shooting, while Clark evaded capture for over five weeks. Police also disclosed that East-Walker was accused of a separate Dallas murder and had likewise cut off an ankle monitor after posting bond, a pattern that has drawn attention to pretrial electronic monitoring policies in North Texas.
The shooting took place inside Qualls' home in the 300 block of Eagle Ridge in Forney, in what police categorized as a targeted attack among individuals who knew one another. Authorities initially issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents before confirming the suspects had fled the neighborhood. Open questions remain about the specific motive behind the shooting and how Clark obtained a firearm while under federal restriction and active fugitive warrants.
A Fast-Growing Suburb Grapples With Rare Violence
Forney sits in Kaufman County, which U.S. Census Bureau data compiled in early 2026 designated as the second fastest-growing county in the nation, driven by a 6% annual population increase that pushed the county past 200,000 residents. To keep pace with that growth, Forney Police Chief Carrie White expanded the department from 37 to 51 officers by mid-2025 and identified 26 additional positions to cover emerging safety needs, according to WFAA.
Despite the rapid expansion, homicides remain rare in Forney. The city recorded 2 homicides and 63 total violent crimes in 2024, maintaining a violent crime rate of 155.6 per 100,000 residents compared to the national average of 359.1, per OpenCrime data. Under Texas Penal Code Section 12.32, a first-degree felony conviction carries a prison sentence ranging from 5 to 99 years or life imprisonment, along with potential fines up to $10,000, giving both suspects steep exposure if convicted.
