Tarance LaRod Sharp, 47, a Black man from Mart, Texas, was shot late on May 19, 2025, in the 100 block of South Commerce Street, a few steps from Mart City Hall. Officers responding around 11:29 p.m. found him on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest and an exit wound in his back; he was pronounced dead at the scene. An obituary recorded his date of death as May 20, 2025, reflecting the overnight timing and listing visitation and services at Rocky Creek Baptist Church in Mart.

The shooting followed a dispute in the area that night involving multiple agencies responding. Investigators detained a man at the scene; subsequent reporting identified him as 40-year-old Merlin Gonzalez. Gonzalez told police Sharp had pulled a knife during a confrontation and that he fired in self-defense. A witness said Sharp was walking west along East Limestone Avenue after an earlier verbal altercation near South Pearl and that a single gunshot was heard minutes later. A 9mm pistol in a holster was found about 15 feet from Sharp’s body.

Booking records showed the man was held on a murder charge with bond set at $500,000 while authorities worked the case and processed the scene. Do readers have information about Sharp’s movements that night or observed activity near South Commerce Street?