In the quiet of a late January evening in 2017, a knock on the door of a mobile home in Texarkana, Texas, shattered the life of 40-year-old Donald 'Donnie' Hiram Smallwood. A White / Caucasian male, Donnie was at his residence in the Texarkana Mobile Home Park on Terrace Plaza in the Liberty-Eylau area when his cousin, 36-year-old Randall Lloyd Foster, arrived.
An altercation quickly erupted between the two men.
Donnie's wife, who was present in the living room, later recounted to investigators the terrifying moments that followed. She reported hearing her husband plead with Foster to stop pointing a gun at him just before the sound of multiple gunshots filled the air. As she retreated to the kitchen for safety, she heard a final, fatal shot. Responding to the reports of gunfire around 7:00 p.m., Bowie County Sheriff's deputies discovered Donnie lying face down in the doorway of his home, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body. Despite immediate life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, Foster fled to a relative's home in Maud, Texas. Law enforcement, including the Bowie County Sheriff's Office, quickly surrounded the residence. After about an hour of tense standoff, and following communication with his father who was inside the home with him, Foster surrendered peacefully to the authorities around 9:30 p.m. A Ruger 9 mm pistol was recovered at the scene of the arrest.
During questioning by investigators, Foster allegedly confessed to the shooting. He reportedly cited long-held resentment towards his cousin for introducing him to methamphetamine as a motive. Foster also told authorities he suspected that Donnie had engaged in inappropriate conduct with his wife while he was incarcerated. A Bowie County grand jury later indicted Foster on a charge of first-degree murder.
