Trial Date Set in Fatal Mall Shooting

TYLER — The man accused in a fatal shooting at Broadway Square Mall now has an attorney. Ricky Neal Jr. was appointed an attorney in Judge Kerry Russell’s court. Neal is charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to KETK, he’s accused of killing Chris Mass, 23, outside Broadway Square Mall last February. Neal’s trial is set to begin April 28th.

When the trial officially begins, Smith County prosecutors will seek to prove Neal murdered Mass, a former Chapel Hill athlete and SFA football player, in the mall parking lot. The suspect is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police determined he shot at a second person, Jonathan Lamone Dews.

According to the Tyler Police Department, Neal and his girlfriend went to the mall the morning of the shooting to buy shoes at Champs. As they entered the mall, the alleged gunman noticed a group of men, one of whom he had a prior issue with about “tweeting” at his girlfriend. The two parties began to argue, and the incident spilled into the parking lot, where Neal pulled a gun and allegedly shot Mass dead, according to police. He was taken into custody by TPD when officers arrived at the scene.