Balloon release for Daezon Morgan; victim’s father forgives accused drunk driver

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A group of family of friends had an emotional day of mourning Daezon Morgan on Monday.

A wake, the funeral, then an evening vigil where friends and family wrote on balloons and released them into the sky.

Police say a man is accused of driving under the influence Monday, June 8, and crashing into Daezon Morgan on his motorcycle, killing him.

Morgan was a father to a blended family of eight, his youngest nearly two years old.

The balloon release was held around the same time Morgan died and in the same spot Morgan died, Richmond Road and Preston.

This crash became a focus of racial justice protesters who claim the accused, a white man, would have received harsher treatment from police if he was black.

Lexington Police refuted the claims with a history of similar cases, saying the officers and the department followed fair and standard procedures.

Despite that, Morgan’s father told us he’s mourning the loss of his son and forgives the man accused.

“Hopefully he comes to God himself and realizes life is precious,” Elijah Morgan, Daezon’s father said. “And know that he took someone that was precious to someone else, but I do forgive him and I pray for his family.”

Release of the balloons…release of Daezon Morgan. @ABC36News pic.twitter.com/pECDkmphbv

— Monica Harkins ABC 36 (@MonicaHarkinstv) June 16, 2020