A devoted father-of-one was shot dead in front of his wife in an Alabama Walmart car park after accidentally bumping into a teenager with his shopping trolley, in a senseless killing that unfolded over half an hour despite two desperate 911 calls by the victim.
Stephen Justus “Fro” Morrow, 46, was fatally shot at the Walmart in Sumiton, Alabama, just before 9pm on 3 June, as his wife Kayla watched helplessly. His last words to her, according to Al.com, were: “Kayla, I’m dying and I love you.”
The incident began when Stephen accidentally struck 18-year-old Timothy Braden Crawford with his trolley inside the store, sparking a verbal altercation, investigators said at a hearing on Tuesday, according to WBMA. Stephen then called 911 from outside, and a Walmart employee stayed with the couple as they waited for police. The pair continued shopping and left through a different exit — but Crawford followed them.
Stephen called 911 a second time, telling officers he did not want Crawford to know where he lived. Despite this, the confrontation moved into a nearby car park where Morrow was shot dead, around 30 minutes after the initial argument inside the store. When police arrived, Crawford’s truck was gone. Officers recovered two projectiles, a shell casing, a bloody handprint and a bloody towel at the scene. Stephen was rushed to the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators located Crawford’s truck at his family’s home in Dora, with a 9mm handgun found inside the vehicle. Crawford’s parents contacted police after he returned home so their son could turn himself in. When questioned with his parents present, Crawford allegedly claimed Morrow had tried to run him off the road before the shooting — but Assistant Police Chief Scott Lawler said video evidence contradicted this. Crawford later allegedly admitted to police that he had followed the Morrows out of the store.
At a court hearing on Tuesday, defence attorney Sam Bentley claimed Crawford had only fired after Morrow broke the passenger window of his truck and tried to get inside, arguing the teenager was acting in self-defence. Crawford’s father, Timothy Scott Crawford, testified that his son has dyslexia and is on the autism spectrum, saying he believes the 18-year-old lacks the mental maturity of his peers. Despite this, Crawford had been issued a pistol permit, the court heard.
Judge Henry Allred ruled Crawford posed a danger to the community but stopped short of remanding him in custody ahead of his murder trial. Instead, he set a $250,000 cash-only bond, with strict conditions including house arrest, no social media use and no contact with friends who were with him on the night of the shooting.
The following day, a devastated Kayla posted on Facebook: “I don’t know how to feel; what to think; anything in general. I’m completely numb. I’ve been awake for almost 40 hours. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is the scene happening.” She called it “the hardest thing I have ever had to witness.”
Friends and community members have rallied to honour a man remembered above all as a proud and devoted father. Eric Nix wrote online that every time he encountered Stephen, “he never failed to say something about his son. It was very clear how much his family meant to him and he was very, very proud of his son.” An online obituary noted Stephen “loved to fish, he loved cars and especially loves his son, Elijah.” A fundraiser for Kayla and her son Eli, which had raised more than $13,000 by Wednesday morning, described Kayla as “a devoted mother” now navigating grief and financial hardship alone, adding: “Kayla has always been there for others and now she needs our help more than ever.”
