Malachi Hansard, a 16-year-old Black male from Fort Worth, was riding as a passenger in a car on the evening of October 11, 2025, when gunfire erupted from another vehicle in far south Fort Worth. The attack turned a routine drive into chaos; bullets tore into the car and Hansard was struck, mortally wounded amid the sudden roar and shattering glass. First responders arrived after 6:30 p.m., but despite efforts to save him, the teenager’s injuries proved fatal.
The shooting, carried out from a separate vehicle that sped away, left the roadway littered with evidence and the neighborhood shaken as detectives began piecing together what had happened and why.
In the days that followed, investigators identified and arrested a suspect. Deron “Fat” Morris, 20, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder in connection with the drive-by attack that killed Hansard. According to an arrest affidavit referenced in local reporting, Morris denied he was the shooter, but police booked him as the investigation continued. Early accounts described the killing as a targeted attack on occupants of the car Hansard was riding in, though detectives did not immediately release a clear motive. As the case moved forward, authorities emphasized that the investigation remained active, with forensic work, witness statements, and video evidence expected to clarify the roles of everyone involved and whether others may have participated.
