HOUSTON – Nikki Stewart and her husband Lamonte visited the damaged housing complex on Dunlap Street a day after a horrific tragedy.
It’s the site where Houston police say a gunman opened fire on tenants running out of their units due to a fire the shooter intentionally set.
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Stewart said her dad, Morris Washington, was one of the three men killed.
“He didn’t have diamond and gold, but his words of wisdom were priceless to me, and he’s definitely going to be missed,” she said.
Stewart said her family was preparing to throw Washington a surprise birthday for his 70th birthday on Sept. 20.
“That also was very heartbreaking, looking forward to surprising him for his birthday,” she added.
Stewart spoke to her dad last week when he called out of the blue. “He just said we were on his mind, tell his son-in-law we said hello. And um, [I] didn’t know that was going to be my last time talking to him,” she added.
During the phone call, she said her dad told her he was sitting outside drinking coffee with a neighbor.
The neighbor, Michael James, was one of two injured in the shooting.
James told KPRC 2′s Bill Barajas how grateful he was to be alive.
The 62-year-old said he was returning home from work when he was struck in the arm and back by a shotgun blast.
“I got hit,” James said. “I ran around the side. I saw him run across the street all in black. He didn’t see me. If he would have saw me, he would have shot me in the face.”
Multiple people identify another one of the victims as Donald Hall.
“He was an old friend of mine,” said Robert Musgrave. “I’ve known him for over 20 years. We go back a long way.”
Musgrave visited the property Monday to reflect on his friend’s death and speak with other residents.
“I’m upset this idiot decided to take him out plus the other people,” he said. “I think it’s horrible.”
The third victim was not identified as of Monday afternoon.
