By Aria Jones
A Dallas County judge found the woman accused of opening fire at Dallas Love Field airport last year was not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court documents.
Portia Odufuwa had been charged with aggravated assault against a public servant after firing several rounds inside the airport. Judge Stephanie Huff issued her judgment Aug. 14 after finding that Odufuwa, 39, did put an officer in imminent danger during the shooting but was insane at the time of the offense.
Huff ordered Odufuwa committed to the maximum security unit of North Texas State Hospital in Vernon for up to 30 days. Huff also ordered an examination of her mental condition within that time period, according to the documents.
Odufuwa entered the not guilty plea after being indicted by a grand jury in October. Huff issued her ruling after hearing from a prosecutor and Odufuwa’s defense attorney, Sherrod Edwards, while also reviewing evidence.
Edwards could not immediately be reached for comment.
A psychologist evaluated Odufuwa and hermedical history, finding that Odufuwa was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the shooting, according to a stipulation of evidence document in the case.
Dr. Kristi Compton found that Odufuwa had “paranoid and bizarre delusions,” auditory hallucinations and was psychotic during the offense, the documents say.
“It was highly unlikely that [Odufuwa] fully understood or appreciated the wrongfulness or criminality of [her] actions,” according to the documents.
Edwards requested an insanity evaluation for Odufuwa from Compton, who found that Odufuwa “did not appear to be exaggerating symptoms for secondary gain,” and had paranoid or religious delusions.
Typically, aggravated assault is a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. But Odufuwa was accused of shooting at a police officer, which carries a sentence of five years to life in prison.
The shooting occurred after Odufuwa was dropped off at the airport on July 25, 2022. She went into a bathroom and came out wearing a hoodie. She then pulled out a gun near the ticket counter area and fired at the ceiling and at an officer, authorities have said.
Police shot Odufuwa in her “lower extremities” and she was treated at a hospital before being booked into the Dallas County jail. No one else was injured, authorities said.
Before the shooting, witnesses said they heard her make comments about her “husband,” who she said is celebrity singer Chris Brown.
According to Compton’s evaluation in the court documents, Odufuwa reported “telepathically communicating with Chris Brown several times a day” and reported stress and trauma over concerns that her “husband” is in danger.
Odufuwa also told the psychologist that she was working at a “corporate office” in 2017 before she quit after being “called by the lord,” the documents say.
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Dallas police Chief Eddie García said last year Odufuwa declared she had an announcement. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, she then shouted she was going to blow the airport up.
García said at the time that Odufuwa for years had been prohibited from owning a firearm.
Odufuwa has a history of arrests and has repeatedly been found incompetent to stand trial, according to court records. Police say she admitted to lighting a home she used to live in on fire to rid it of demons. Odufuwa’s family previously told The Dallas Morning News that she has struggled with mental health conditions and has asked the courts for help.
Her mother wrote on an application for a protective order in September 2020 that Odufuwa wasn’t taking her medication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
She was accused of robbing a bank in Wylie in April 2019. She was found incompetent to stand trial and underwent both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. The case was eventually dismissed, court records show.
Other charges against Odufuwa over the past several years include arson, criminal trespass and false reporting.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
