Bystanders Took Photos and Videos of a Dead Child as They Drove Past His Lifeless Body Sprawled on a Texas Street for Nearly 2 Hours. Several Now Charged.

Multiple people were arrested in connection to the aftermath of the shooting of a teen in Marshall, Texas, whose body was abandoned in the street for hours, according to reports. 

Fifty-year-old Alexander, 32-year-old Diamond Roach, and 24-year-old Tyra Valentine were charged with misdemeanor failure to report human remains, Law and Crime reported, citing court documents. Two minors who were not publicly identified were also charged with engaging in organized criminal activity for robbery. 

Five people were arrested in connection tot he shooting of a Texas teen, per news reports.
The trio was arrested and charged with failure to report remains in connection to the shooting of a 16-year-old in Marshall, Texas. (KLTV/Screenshot)

When officers responded to Alexander Street in the early hours of June 7, they discovered a Black child with a gunshot wound to the chest, KLTV reported. The 16-year-old victim was dead when police arrived at the scene around 1:30 a.m.

During their investigation, authorities learned that the child’s body was on the 1800 block for nearly two hours before they came, the outlet reported, adding that bystanders driving past would take photos and videos of the deceased juvenile. 

“Investigation showed that the young male had been lying in the street for over an hour and a half before authorities were notified,” the police department said in a press release, per BDCRadio. “During that time, vehicles drove around the body, and some individuals took photos and video recordings of the body.” 

An investigation into the incident is underway, and more details are expected to be released. Morrison, the sole person out of the trio of adults who has a court date, is set for arraignment in mid-September, per Law and Crime.

Marshall is about 150 miles away from Dallas.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top