DALLAS, Texas — On Oct. 7, Cecilia Simpson died after she was shot inside a Dallas shopping center. Days later, her family is still in shock.

“It’s like a bad dream that I can never wake up from,” said her son, Dereon Williams.

He and his family are holding on to every memory of the woman who loved hard, helped often, and saw the good in everyone.

On Tuesday, police say 41-year-old Cecilia Simpson was shot and killed outside a PetSmart on Wheatland Road. Investigators say it started as a simple act of kindness, holding the door for a stranger.

That stranger, police say, was 22-year-old Keona Hampton, who is now charged with Simpson’s murder.

According to court records, Simpson held the door open for Hampton at a Five Below store, but when Hampton didn’t say “thank you,” Simpson got

See Full Page