Horrific Crime

Police arrest 3 young teens in beating death of South Dallas man

Dallas police have arrested three teens in the beating death of Sam Lee Morris, 61, a South Dallas man who was killed on his way home from the grocery store. The suspects, two 14-year-olds and a 13-year-old, face capital murder charges.

Numerous news outlets including The Daily Mail have described Morris as disabled. He's also reported to have suffered from diabetes and walk with a limp.

Around 10 pm on Saturday June 8, Morris was walking past Prince Hall Apartments in South Dallas with grocery bags in tow. Police say a group of children as young as 10 devised a plan to rob Morris and viciously attacked him.

"They chased him, and they swarmed him," said Maj. Jeff Cotner of the Dallas Police Department.

The teens hit Morris repeatedly, causing him to fall into the street, where he was eventually struck by a car. Morris was transported to Baylor Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Police interviewed more than half a dozen youths who witnessed the crime but ultimately decided only three teens were responsible for Morris' death. Cotner said he did not know if Morris was already unconscious when the car struck him, but he believes the victim was at least stunned by several blows to the head.

"We believe that the injuries he sustained when he went into the roadway most likely caused his death," Cotner said. An autopsy is pending.

The driver of the car has not been identified and Cotner says there are conflicting reports of the car's description. Police believe that several people stopped to render aid after Morris was struck and the driver fled, but they have not come forward.

"It's very important for the community to help us out," Cotner says.

Anyone with information in this case should call Det. Eric Barnes 214-283-4818.

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Free Food

Food Bank to host summer food giveaway at UNT Dallas campus

Photo by Michael Martin

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Two Dallas organizations are partnering on a big summer food giveaway: The North Texas Food Bank is joining forces with the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) with a mobile food distribution event at the UNT Dallas campus on Friday, July 18.

UNT Dallas and the NTFB already host a drive-through mobile pantry each month, but this one is specifically focused on children who are out of school for the summer.

Each participating family will receive about 60 pounds of food, including fresh produce, to help fill the gap left when school-provided meals are unavailable.

So far this year, the monthly mobile pantry events at UNT Dallas have provided approximately 140,000 pounds of food to more than 1,500 families and 7,000 people. Long lines usually form on University Hills Blvd. well before the gates open.

UNT Dallas has partnered with NTFB since 2020, hosting monthly mobile food distributions on campus. Each event is supported by student, faculty, and staff volunteers, providing relief to campus and community members. The university also operates the Trailblazers Care Pantry, an on-campus resource that provides groceries, hygiene products, and a Career Closet for students preparing for interviews or internships.

A recent Feeding America study found that Texas has the highest number of food-insecure people of any state, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranks third in the nation. Within NTFB’s 12-county service area, nearly 744,000 people, including more than 250,000 children, don’t always know where their next meal will come from. Over 60 percent of that population lives in Dallas County.

The July 18 food distribution is first-come, first-served, and no ID or pre-registration is required. Participants must arrive in a vehicle, as this is a drive-through-only event. It'll run from 8-11 am, or while supplies last, at the UNT Dallas campus in southern Dallas, at 7300 University Hills Blvd.

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