MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Family, and friends gathered in Cordova Tuesday night to celebrate the lives of two cousins killed in a horrific car accident they say could have been prevented.
The vigil and balloon release along Walnut Grove took place the same day officer Antonio Marshall was charged with vehicular homicide in the accident.
Memphis Police: Off-duty officer was traveling 114 mph seconds before fatal crash
Friday afternoon, 19-year-old Travis Parham and 42-year-old Wallace Morris were pulling onto Walnut Grove at Timber Creek Drive when they were hit by a black Charger driven by off-duty Memphis police officer Marshall.
Court records show Marshall was going 114 mph about five seconds before the crash and 99 mph when he hit the driver’s side of the cousin’s Bonneville.
The speed and force of the impact split the Bonneville into two, and both men were ejected from the vehicle.
Police said Marshall’s car dragged a portion of the Bonneville more than 200 feet and the other end of the car hit a pickup truck.
Police: Off-duty involved in deadly car crash where car was split in half
Family members, who had been asking for the officer’s name to be released, said they were relieved charges had been filed against Marshall but said the accident should never have happened in the first place.
“It was, It was senseless. Very Senseless,” said Genell Rhodes
Family members released blue and white balloons they said were Travis’s favorite colors and said the gathering was all part of the healing process.