Relatives of Cecilia Simpson said they want the 41-year-old remembered as a mother, daughter and sister, not only as a homicide victim.
DALLAS, Texas — The family of Cecilia Simpson is asking that the 41-year-old Dallas woman be remembered for her life and her relationships with her children and relatives after a shopping-center confrontation ended with her fatal shooting.
Simpson died after being shot outside a PetSmart on West Wheatland Road on Oct. 7, 2025. Dallas police arrested 22-year-old Keona Hampton later that day and said she was being charged with murder. An arrest affidavit says the encounter began with a disagreement at a nearby Five Below after Simpson held a door open for Hampton and became upset when Hampton did not say thank you. Days after the shooting, Simpson’s relatives spoke publicly about the loss and the impact on the family members who witnessed or learned of her death.
Simpson’s mother, Leslie Wickware, told FOX 4 that the death felt like a bad dream and called what happened senseless. Wickware had been expecting her daughter to visit before she instead received word that Simpson had been shot. Her comments shifted attention away from the unusual origin of the confrontation and toward the family left to deal with its consequences.
Simpson was known to relatives as “CeeCee.” Her sister, Monica Nelson, emphasized that Simpson had an identity beyond the circumstances of her death, describing her as a mother, daughter and sister whose family would miss her. The family said Simpson had two children, including a daughter who was with her during the confrontation and a 16-year-old son who later spoke about the unanswered questions surrounding his mother’s death.
The daughter, who was 20 at the time, gave investigators a detailed account that became part of the arrest affidavit. She told police that she was with Simpson when the dispute began outside Five Below. After the initial argument, she and her mother went to PetSmart in the same shopping center and told employees that Hampton was following them, according to the affidavit.
The confrontation continued inside the PetSmart, where the affidavit says Hampton argued with Simpson’s daughter before leaving and returning. Employees eventually asked the parties to leave. Outside, investigators allege Hampton threw a drink bottle at Simpson’s vehicle as Simpson and her daughter were preparing to leave. Simpson then approached Hampton, and a physical fight followed.
Simpson’s daughter told police that her mother struck Hampton several times while telling her to leave her alone. Investigators said that after the daughter stepped away, Hampton pulled a handgun and fired three times. Dallas police said Simpson was shot several times and was taken to a hospital, where she died. Hampton was arrested later that evening.
An emergency room nurse who encountered the scene performed CPR before paramedics arrived, according to FOX 4. The nurse later described the distress of seeing Simpson’s daughter beside her mother. The account underscores that the shooting was not only a homicide investigation but also an event witnessed at close range by one of Simpson’s children.
Simpson’s son, Derion Williams, told FOX 4 that life at home had become quiet without his mother and that he was left wondering why the confrontation continued. He said his mother had shown love in many ways. Family members said they were concerned about the emotional effects on both children, particularly Simpson’s daughter after what she witnessed.
The family’s public comments came as police continued investigating the shooting and prosecutors faced the criminal case against Hampton. Police records and the arrest affidavit describe the sequence leading to the shooting, but they do not answer all of the questions Simpson’s relatives raised about why the dispute continued after the first encounter. Hampton’s murder charge remains an allegation unless proved in court.
Dallas police identified the investigation as case No. 144712-2025 and initially described it as ongoing. Publicly available authoritative material reviewed for this article did not establish a later final disposition of the case. For Simpson’s family, meanwhile, their public message after the shooting was focused on preserving a fuller picture of her life and supporting the children who survived her.
Author note: Last updated October 25, 2026.