A pair of North Carolina parents were shot in front of their 4-year-old young son just days before the father’s birthday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg responded to a parking lot on Monday just after 12 p.m., where they saw a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds, writes to PEOPLE’s Elaine Aradillas. The father, Dondrake Blackmoore, 26, died at the scene, and the mother, 27-year-old Jakailah Jackson, was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries. Their child, who was sitting in the backseat, was not harmed. “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.”
Just a day before Blackmoore’s birthday, police arrested a 22-year-old man in connection to the shooting. The young man was identified as Xaveon Dunn. He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in addition to the other charges, according to online jail records reported by PEOPLE. There are no details yet whether or not he has entered a plea deal or obtained an attorney.
Tracking down Dunn was guided with from the couple’s community who gave the police force tips. “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.”
Blackmoore’s family has created a GoFundMe account to help pay for the funeral and the cost of his burial. Other money raised from the GoFundMe all go towards his children. Blackmoore has another son from a previous relationship, PEOPLE reports. “In addition to being a wonderful and loving father to his sons, Dre was also a genuinely loving and caring son and brother,” the GoFundMe states, which highlighted that he took care of 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.”
