‘Goofy’ dad with ‘infectious smile’ dies after hit-and-run in parking lot, NC cops say
_fitted.png "Mark Morris, 46, was killed in a hit-and-run crash, police say.")
A 46-year-old dad died after he was struck in a hit-and-run crash, North Carolina police say.
Fayetteville police say Mark Morris was walking across a parking lot on Friday, Oct. 28, when a speeding driver hit him and fled. Morris was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, about 70 miles south of Raleigh, and was later pronounced dead, police said.
Investigators identified Sukara Wiggs as the driver of the Nissan Altima that struck Morris, according to a department news release. Wiggs was located and arrested on Monday, Oct. 31. She is charged with felony hit-and-run serious injury/death, misdemeanor death by vehicle and failure to reduce speed.
The 18-year-old is a senior at Westover High School, court records say, according to The Fayetteville Observer. Wiggs’ vehicle was found in her mother’s backyard using license plate reader technology.
Morris’ wife said he underwent surgery once he arrived at the hospital. He was pronounced brain dead on Saturday, Oct. 29, she wrote on Facebook.
“I’m sitting here wondering how this could have happened. How someone could have done something like this to a man who was loved by so many,” her post reads. “My family is beside themselves.”
Friends and family describe Morris as “goofy” and said he had a “kind heart.”
“To know Mark Morris meant that you loved him as there is no denying his infectious smile, kind heart and sense of humor,” one friend wrote on Facebook. “You are loved and missed so much Mark.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 11:49 AM with the headline "‘Goofy’ dad with ‘infectious smile’ dies after hit-and-run in parking lot, NC cops say."
