N.C. Parents Are Fatally Shot in Car in Front of Young Son, Days Before Dad’s Birthday
The shooting deaths of a North Carolina couple left a 4-year-old without his parents, according to a report from local TV station WCNC.
On Monday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to a parking lot shortly after 12 p.m. where they discovered a man and woman suffering from gunshot wounds, the station reports.
Dondrake Blackmoore, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene. His girlfriend Jakailah Jackson, 27, was taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Friends of the couple told the station that the pair were parents to a 4-year-old boy who was in the backseat of the car at the time of the shooting. The boy was unharmed.
“This is a memory that he’ll never be able to erase from his mind,” Lucille Puckett told the station. “Their lives will forever shine bright within our hearts.”
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On Wednesday, a day before Blackmoore turned 27, police arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the shooting.
Xaveon Dunn is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder along with other charges, according to online jail records. It was unclear whether he had obtained an attorney or entered a plea.
Police told local TV station WSOC that tips from the community contributed to the arrest of Dunn.
“To have something like this happen in broad daylight seems to be pretty brazen,” Maj. Cecil Brisbon told the station. “It’s one of those things you can’t wrap your mind around.”
For now, the family of Blackmoore are preparing for his funeral. They’ve created a GoFundMe account to help with the cost of his burial and to help his children. Blackmoore was also the father to a 7-year-old boy from a previous relationship.
“In addition to being a wonderful and loving father to his sons, Dre was also a genuinely loving and caring son and brother,” the page states, noting he cared for his brother who has cerebral palsy. “It is unfortunate that the family has had to share the news that their daddy will never be able to come back home to them; because his life was cut short and his voice was silenced by such a heinous crime.”
