BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man who put his family first: that’s how loved ones described Margus Morrison.
They gathered at True Bethel Baptist Church Friday morning for a celebration of Morrison’s life.
He was shot and killed when he was at Tops on Jefferson Avenue, buying good for a movie night his family had planned later that evening.
But that’s not how church leaders want people to remember the 52-year-old father of seven.
“I know that your hearts are hurting, as they should be. I know there is confusion in your mind, which is understandable,” said Bishop Darius Pridgen. “At the top of the program it says ‘in loving memory,’ and we believe here in celebrating the lives of those who we had the privilege of being with.”
His family says Morrison will be remembered for his laughter, the jokes he told and his love of sunglasses.
He was a longtime bus aide for Buffalo Public Schools, and some members of the district were on hand to honor him.
They were also joined by the Rev. Al Sharpton and prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Both demanded justice for Morrison and the nine others killed that day.
“At some point, Margus’s children are going to say ‘what did you do when that young, depraved monster came and shot my father and those other Black people in that grocery store?’ And we have to be able to tell them we protested evil,” Crump said.
Morrison’s loved ones finished the ceremony by doing something he did so many times – celebrating his family. His funeral also marked his mother’s 72 birthday and his daughter’s 16 birthday.
Marlee Tuskes is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter.