The 20-year-old man killed in an east Arlington shooting Thursday, March 26, has been identified as former Sam Houston High School basketball player Malachi Hayes.
Courtesy: Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives
The 20-year-old man killed in an east Arlington shooting Thursday morning has been identified as a former Sam Houston High School basketball player.
“RIP to former Arlington Sam Houston HS standout Malachi Hayes …. Heartbreaking news in the DFW community,” former pro-basketball player and coach Jabari Johnson said in a social media post.
RIP to former Arlington Sam Houston HS standout Malachi Hayes….
Heartbreaking news in the DFW 🏀 community 💔 pic.twitter.com/9tYCGz8x6O
— The SportsInfluencer (Jabari Johnson) (@HeadsUpSI) March 27, 2026
Hayes, at the time a high school junior, received credit in Sports Illustrated in February 2023 when he scored 20 points in one game and helped the Sam Houston Texans to a decisive 70-59 win against the state-ranked Martin High School Warriors.
The Star-Telegram listed Hayes as member of the District 8-6A first team later that spring.
Arlington police said they responded to a convenience store at the corner of Sherry Street and East Abram Street about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. They found a man in the parking lot who’d been shot.
The injured man, who was later identified as Hayes, died at Medical City Arlington hospital about 2 a.m. His official cause and manner of death are pending the results of an autopsy, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office website.
No suspects have been arrested, according to police, and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Former Sam Houston assistant basketball coach Malik Boynton said on Instagram that Hayes always looked out for everyone around him and had a personality that “could light up any room.”
“Watching you grow up on and off the court was one of the most rewarding experiences in my coaching journey,” Boynton wrote, adding that “the legend of Malachi Hayes will never die.”
Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harriet Ramos covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.