DALLAS — One week after his murder in east Dallas, family and friends said goodbye to basketball star Andre Emmett Jr. and vowed to keep his memory and non-profit foundation alive as police continue to search for his killers.
Emmett, a Carter High School, Texas Tech, and NBA standout, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of September 23rd. Surveillance video released by Dallas Police shows Emmett sitting in his SUV in a driveway in the 1800 block of N. Prairie Avenue when two people approach. Emmett gets out of the vehicle and tries to run away. The gunman can be seen firing at Emmett as he flees.
He was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died. Witnesses told police the two suspects fled the scene in a white Chrysler 300.
Family and friends gathered Monday for a private funeral at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, where Emmett was praised for his athletic talents. But his loss is most deeply felt by his family, including the two young daughters he leaves behind.
"What I'm asking is if you do know something, realize that a father was taken away from his two daughters, more than anything," said friend and business partner Baylor Barbee after Monday's funeral. "I think the hardest part of this is nobody even has an inkling as to what it could be about," he said of the shooting. "He was a loved guy. So that's why it's more baffling and I think that's why it's tougher to figure out."
What they are also trying to figure out, and remain dedicated to, is finding a way to continue his foundation. Dre, as he was known to his closest friends, is also the acronym for his nonprofit: DRE - the Dreams Really Exist Foundation. Through sports and education, he and Barbee and half a dozen other friends and family offer to have a positive impact on Dallas-area youth.
"The thing I like most is that he wasn't waiting until his career was over to make a difference," Barbee said. "He said basketball is just a vehicle. It's to help us do what we really want to do."
His friends and family promise that effort, that dream, will continue in Andre Emmett Jr.'s name. But on the day of his funeral, they pray the nightmare they are living now will at least find justice.
Anyone with information that could help in this investigation is asked to call the Dallas Police Department at 214-671-3647.