More than a ‘goofball’: Family, friends remember slain Charlotte teen as a giver
Daisy Morales remembers her brother as kind, respectful and goofy. But, John Daniel Morales was more than just a “goofball,” she says, and even as a child she could tell he was different.
“He was very kind, very outgoing, and very social,” she said. “Like, you can walk past him at Walmart, and he’ll start a conversation with you.”
“Johnny,” as his family and friends knew him, was always in touch with his community, according to his sister. In elementary school, he helped children with special needs. He played football for an anti-violence organization and completed the D.A.R.E. program, she said.
A student at North Mecklenburg High School, Morales helped to feed 1,000 people during a volunteer trip to Atlanta with Team Trublue, an anti-violence football group run by Charles Robinson. Morales also participated in conflict resolution seminars, Robinson said.
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Morales, the youngest of three children, died two days after being shot near an east Charlotte park on May 29. He was 15. Two 15-year-olds were arrested June 2 in connection with Morales’ death.
The family decided to continue Morales’ spirit of giving and donated all of his organs except for his lungs. Matches were found, his sister said.
They knew he would have wanted to save lives, she said.
Friends react
A GoFundMe page was created to help Morales’ family with funeral expenses. More than 350 people had donated nearly $19,500 toward a $22,000 goal as of Thursday night.
“John always had a ‘twinkle’ in his eyes and a big smile when he was up to something, in a mischievous mood,” Susan Inabinet commented after making a donation. “I saw that twinkle often! Rest In Peace.”
Another donor said Morales was their neighbor for years and like a brother to their children.
“We remember him being kind, loving, respectful and gifted. We will hold onto the memories we have of him,” Lachelle Pulliam wrote.
“I will always remember his beautiful smile and how kind-hearted he was,” Catherine Tecza, his second-grade teacher, said.
Morales’ best friend, Keishaun Harper, described him as “loyal” at a vigil last weekend, according to Queen City News.
“You have two kinds of people in this world, you have a giver and a taker. And John was one of those givers — he had a big heart,” Harper said.
“He had a heart of a lion.”
‘Not just another statistic’
Morales was close with his family, his sister said. The last time she saw him, the family had gathered at her new apartment — playing UNO and laughing together.
On the day he was shot, Morales was walking with friends along the 8000 block of First Run Circle, she said. He was on his way to meet his family at the pool, but what happened next remains unclear.
His grandmother, sister, cousins and his older brother, Jesse, were waiting for him. They became more worried after two or three hours and he hadn’t shown up, Daisy said. Then, she received a call from the family’s godsister saying Morales had been shot.
The family spent hours searching for Morales at hospitals.
“We didn’t know what hospital he was at,” Daisy said. “We didn’t know how severe it was.”
Funeral services were held privately on June 8.
Daisy said she hopes her brother’s death causes people to pay attention to the increasing violence in the community, and that they can connect with his story.
“I just don’t want him to be another statistic,” she said.
