Man who shot dead UH football star visited him to buy weed

WACO, Texas (KTRK) — A man identified as a suspect in the fatal shooting of a former University of Houston football player has been arrested and charged with capital murder.

Waco police arrested Devion Michael Hurtado on Friday, Nov. 20, and charged him five days later for the murder of 22-year-old Ka’Darian Smith. They identified Hurtado as the person who shot Smith multiple times in his Midtown high-rise apartment on Nov. 4 before he died.

Surveillance video released by Houston police on Nov. 17 led to the 23-year-old’s arrest. The video showed four men near the apartment building at 2840 Fannin Street before the early morning shooting happened.

According to Houston police, Smith called his friends saying he had been shot on the 12th floor of his apartment complex. The friends arrived to his apartment about 30 minutes later and were able to move him downstairs while they waited on an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Smith’s family later told investigators several Rolex watches and a diamond bracelet were missing from his apartment. While searching the apartment, authorities found 11 pounds of marijuana. They also said Hurtado and his friends had visited Smith’s apartment to buy weed.

The other suspects seen in the video were also identified, but no charges have been filed yet, investigators said.

Before playing for UH, Smith was also a star player for Spring High School.