Tragic Carjacking Claims Life of Woman Aiding Cancer-Stricken Friend: Community in Shock

A tragic incident in Texas has claimed the life of a woman who was shot during an alleged carjacking as she visited her best friend battling cancer.

Marietta Allison made the journey from Austin to Houston to support her friend, Cassie Daniel, who is undergoing treatment for stage 4 ovarian cancer. The visit took place on Saturday, March 7.

After spending the day at the hospital, where Allison cared for Daniel through a session of chemotherapy, the two friends left around 10:30 p.m. to stay overnight at a nearby friend’s residence.

Finding no available parking at the location, Allison decided to drop Daniel and her father off before circling the block to locate a parking spot.

In a cherished memory, Marietta Allison is seen smiling alongside her friend, Cassie Daniel, during a vacation in Egypt. (Photo courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

“We were putting our things away, and I heard a scream and then a gunshot,” Daniel told Fox News Digital. “I felt like something large dropped to the floor, and I was like, ‘Was that a gunshot?’” 

When Daniel realized Allison had not returned from parking the car, she began to worry. 

“I stepped out into the living room and told my friends, ‘Was that a gunshot?’” Daniel said. “She was like, ‘Have you heard from Marietta?’ and I said no. And my friend said, ‘Well, I just tried to call her, and she didn’t answer.’” 

Marietta Allison and Cassie Daniel became friends in November 2021 through a leadership program they were both enrolled in. (Courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

Feeling as though something was wrong, Daniel went to the last known location of Allison’s phone, where she found Allison lying on the sidewalk surrounded by police officers. 

“She was lying on the ground, and the paramedics were around her and I could see her purse down on the sidewalk,” Daniel said, adding Allison’s wallet was left at the scene.

Marietta Allison was gunned down in an alleged carjacking while driving her friend to cancer treatment in Houston, Texas on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

Authorities quickly learned that the vehicle Allison was driving was missing, launching a frantic search for an apparent carjacker as her loved ones watched helplessly as she was transported to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.  

“She was almost instantly killed, if not just a few seconds later,” Daniel told Fox News Digital. “She was shot kind of through the neck and through the head.”

Following a brief search, officers found 18-year-old Darius DeWayne Hall driving the victim’s stolen vehicle, resulting in a high-speed chase, according to KHOU 11. 

Marietta Allison was gunned down in an alleged carjacking while driving her friend to cancer treatment in Houston, Texas on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

Hall subsequently crashed the vehicle along the Southwest Freeway and attempted to flee on foot, sparking an hours-long standoff in a nearby residential area, according to the outlet.

“I opened my door around 4:15 a.m., and there was an officer on his knees with a shield and one behind him with a gun pointing right down the stairs to that unit where they found him,” neighbor Ken Knisely told KHOU 11.

Hall was later taken into custody at around 7 a.m. and charged with capital murder stemming from Allison’s death.

Marietta Allison was driving friend Cassie Daniel to cancer treatment in Houston, Texas when she was shot and killed by an alleged carjacker on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Daniel is choosing to remember Allison as a loving individual who spent her last moments taking care of her friend in need. 

“She was literally sitting in the hospital bed, spoon-feeding me a fruit bowl,” Daniel told Fox News Digital as she recalled her final day with Allison. “And I was like, ‘Love like this exists.’”

Marietta Allison was gunned down in an alleged carjacking while driving her friend to cancer treatment in Houston, Texas on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Courtesy of Cassie Daniel)

“So I could see the tender care, compassion, empathy and just the love that was there. And at the same time, I was like, this is a precious moment. I had no idea that it would be one of my last moments with her.” 

The Houston Police Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.