DART shooting victim’s family questions why ‘excuse me’ exchange turned deadly
Victim’s family questions why exchange turned deadly
A Dallas victim’s grieving family is wondering how an exchange of words led to a deadly confrontation at a Dallas Area Rapid Transit station.
DALLAS - A Dallas victim’s grieving family is wondering how an exchange of words led to a deadly confrontation at a Dallas Area Rapid Transit station.
Deadly DART Shooting
Erin Graham
The backstory:
Erin La’James Graham was shot and killed on Friday night at DART’s 8th and Corinth Station in Oak Cliff.
The 28-year-old was gunned down after a brief verbal exchange with two brothers, including 18-year-old Demetrius Rogers.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Rogers told detectives that as he and his brother walked past Graham, they said "excuse me." Graham replied by saying, "excuse you."
The suspect’s brother took offense to the comment. He and Graham then assumed a fighting stance, according to the document.
Rogers said he became angry and shot Graham in the chest with his Glock 44 handgun.
Rogers is now in the Dallas County jail charged with murder.
Deadly DART station shooting started as argument over 'excuse me,' docs show
A deadly shooting at a Dallas DART station stemmed from an argument over saying "excuse me," according to court documents acquired by FOX 4.
What they're saying:
Graham’s family wants to know why that simple exchange escalated into a deadly shooting.
"He wasn’t even trying to get with you. He was talking to the other dude. It’s two of ya’ll and one of him, and he ain't got no gun," said Elijah McKenzie, the victim’s brother.
His mother, Margurita Everrett, said he was the youngest of her three sons and a very kind-hearted person.
"My baby’s just gone from here. He took my baby away from me. And I tell people to step in a mother’s shoes and feel what I’m feeling. My baby’s gone. And it’s not really a lot of words to say for the feeling that I have. I just have a broken heart. It’s a piece missing out of it," she said.
The family members said Graham had recently turned his life to faith.
"He called me. He was so excited. ‘Mama, I’m getting baptized.’ And I was like oh God, thank you. And I just started praising God for that and he was just so happy," his mother said.
The family must now spend the holiday making plans to lay Graham to rest.
The Source: The information in this story comes from interviews with Erin La’James Graham's mother and brother, as well as past news coverage.