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‘He lives in her’: 10-year-old carries on father’s spirit after Old East Dallas shooting

Terrell Roussell, 36, was fatally shot April 7 in the 4100 block of North Central Expressway in East Dallas.

This story is part of The Dallas Morning News’ homicide project focused on sharing the stories of all people killed in Dallas in 2024.

Dancing on stage is nothing new for 10-year-old Kailey Roussell.

Why This Story Matters
The Dallas Morning News is telling the stories of people killed in homicides in 2024 to show the toll of violent crime in Dallas. Reporting throughout the year will probe what officials are doing to address a crime that claimed at least 246 lives last year.

For seven years, Kailey has danced in competitions across Texas. Competition days are fast-paced, but fairly routine — dance, change, dance, change again.

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On April 6, she danced in a competition in Grapevine. Her mother, Natasha Roussell, was backstage helping with quick changes, and her father, Terrell Roussell, was in the audience. He would often make eye contact with Kailey and try to make her laugh.

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In between dances, Natasha received a text: Can I see Kailey?

Terrell came backstage and wrapped Kailey in a hug before telling his family he was tired and needed to leave the competition early. He headed back to Old East Dallas where he was staying for a job.

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The next morning, Kailey and Natasha looked for Terrell at church. He never showed up.

Terrell, 36, was shot to death the morning of April 7 in the 4100 block of North Central Expressway in Old East Dallas. A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting, which police said stemmed from an argument.

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A detective called Natasha that evening to tell her the news. The light of her phone illuminated her shell-shocked face every few minutes as she checked the time to see if she was dreaming.

“I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know who to tell,” Natasha said.

She waited to tell Kailey until after school the next day. The 10-year-old was excited to see the eclipse, and Natasha didn’t want to take that from her. Their church family came over to offer support for the little girl whose world was about to change. But she didn’t need it.

Kailey didn’t cry. Instead, she demanded to know why someone would hurt her dad. A woman from the church pulled her aside to talk in a smaller setting. And then she went to fly her kite.

The woman said it seemed Kailey was almost relieved. She had seen her dad struggling since the death of his father four months prior, and knew he wasn’t struggling anymore.

“I’m going to miss my dad, but he’s with Papa now and they’re both with God,” Kailey said. “So I’m OK.”

‘History from there’

Terrell Roussell was an encourager. He volunteered as a recreational football and basketball coach in Luling, La. for young men and boys to make sure they had a male role model. Through this, he met a 7-year-old boy named Koryn who introduced Terrell to his mother, Natasha. That boy grew to be his bonus son and one of his favorite people.

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“It was history from there,” she said.

He had a temper, but it really only came out while watching Cowboys games. Every Sunday, he would sit in front of the TV with his mother-in-law and devoted Saints fan, Doris Alexander, and argue over plays. Terrell was so excited to be surrounded by Cowboys fans in “Jerry’s world” when he moved to Dallas with Natasha and the kids in 2018.

Terrell’s happy place was in front of a grill. From wings and grilled chicken to gumbo and fried fish, he loved to cook for his friends and family. Though Terrell’s food was always good, Natasha laughed when recalling that the sauces and seasonings were almost never the same, except for one. He built a recipe for his own heart-healthy, all-purpose seasoning and created a logo to match. Natasha hopes to one day sell the seasoning on his behalf.

More than anything, Terrell loved his daughter, Kailey.

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“He felt like she was the one thing he had in the world that nobody could take away,” Natasha said. “That was his daughter.”

The two had a special bond that formed over sushi dinners, movie dates and go-kart races. These were some of her favorite days, even though her dad often snored in the movie theater, Kailey said.

On weekends, Kailey liked just being at home with her parents wrestling together and playing hide and seek. She never found her dad’s hiding spot.

Kailey is a lot like her dad, Natasha said. She shares his liveliness and spark, but also his competitiveness.

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In June, Terrell and Kailey competed in their first annual “Father’s Day father, daughter race.” Their feet slapped the pavement as they raced down their neighborhood street in Watauga. Kailey’s determination to prove she was faster drove her across the finish line first.

“She’s a special kid, but that was kind of the thing about Terrell,” Natasha said. “He was a special person. So, he passed that to her. He lives in her.”

“I’m happy I’m like my dad,” Kailey said.

Terrell hung a yellow sticky note in his closet. Written across the square in ink was an acronym: “F.A.I.T.H. – fearless action in troubled hours.” It hung as his reminder that with faith, he could do anything. He wanted others to believe the same thing.

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It wasn’t always easy for him to live by that. He struggled feeling fulfilled in his career path and most recently took a job with higher pay away from home, Natasha said. When his dad passed away, his world dimmed, and he had a hard time finding his way.

“He just wanted to be accepted, be loved and be who he was without judgment,” Natasha said. “Because he felt like he did that for everybody else.”

Questions about the case

In the months since Terrell’s passing, Kailey has continued to ask questions, desperate to know when the court date is and if the detectives have discovered anything new.

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Natasha has questions of her own.

Terrell was found shot in a breezeway. Detectives told Natasha a nearby camera revealed Terrell had his gun on him during the fight, but the alleged shooter got to it first and shot him twice before fleeing the scene.

“Nobody deserves to die that way, but people are sick and just left him there,” she said. “I think about how nobody was there to help him. Did he die right away? So much goes through my mind.”

Terrell’s Texas family and friends gathered in early May at Trinity Harvest Church in Hurst to celebrate his life. When the pastor asked if anyone had anything to share, Kailey was the first to step up to the mic and reflect on her love for her dad.

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“She just got up,” Natasha said. “I didn’t know she was going to do that.”

When Marvin Sapp’s “The Best in Me” began playing, Kailey did what she does best. She danced.

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