Dallas, Texas – Friends and loved ones gathered to honor the memory of a man who was tragically killed earlier this week in what Dallas police are investigating as a capital murder case.
The family of Morland Smith had planned for a different Saturday, but they instead found themselves surrounded by blue balloons and flowers as they remembered their beloved 51-year-old relative. “Morland loved the Cowboys,” said his sister Staphanie Sharp. “We’re going to live his memory, and we’re going to live it every day.”
At a West Dallas park, Morland was remembered as a favorite uncle and kind brother by his family and friends, who released blue and white balloons at 3:11 p.m. to symbolize his March 11 birthday.
According to his family, Morland had gone to a shopping center in southeast Dallas to get donuts when a suspect or suspects approached him and another man and started shooting. The violence in the parking lot was evident by the dozens of yellow evidence markers, indicating the rounds fired.
Tragically, Morland Smith and 22-year-old Jamarcus Irving lost their lives in the shooting. Speaking on the devastating loss, Pat Smith expressed the family’s anguish and desire for answers, stating, “We just need answers as to why because he was just innocent, just standing there.”
The incidents of this violence have left the family in confusion and grief, with many questions unanswered. The community mourns the loss of Morland Smith and stands in solidarity with his family as they seek justice and understanding in the face of this tragedy.