Honor Dawson's Memory with a Special Tribute

Hello my name is Elizabeth Locklear,

I am the Aunt/Mother of Burlie Dawson Locklear III, Last year September 13,2024 at 12:40, I received a phone call no parent should ever have to receive. The night of September 13 my son and his girlfriend got ready for their night shift job at the Waffle House in Laurinburg Nc, 3 hours into their shift a customer came to the walk up window and placed an order while waiting on food the customer became aggressive and started to harassing my son and my sons girlfriend over the order, after getting the customers order my son gives the customers his food and he proceeds to leave but before doing so the customer turns around and shoots two rounds of ammo into the Waffle House hitting my son, once in the arm and the other went in the side of his belly killing my son. Jaylen my sons girlfriend said, Dawson looked at her pulling up his shirt saying bae I've been shot before collapsing to the floor, when we arrived at the Waffle House the Ems worker stated that he was stable and was about to transport him to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital the ambulance hadn't made it there yet but when it pulled up i saw the Em's worker on top of my baby giving him heart compression and cpr i knew then it was going to be bad. When i walked in the family room at the hospital the nurse was waiting to inform me that Dawson didn't make it, they advised me that i could see Dawson but we could not touch him because him body was evidence. I could not even hold my baby while his body was still warm, as a mother when your child is hurt your first instinct is to hold them untill they feel better i know it couldn't have brought Dawson back but, to not be giving that opportunity was completely heart breaking. My son had just turned 18 in July and had graduated that June he was just getting started in life before it was senselessly taken. This man measured my sons life over grits and eggs. A few days prior i had just gave Dawson my Jeep that he loved so much, im not a wealthy person and couldn't afford Dawson a new car yet he was so excited about the gift, Dawson had put it in the garage to get it tuned up and had been waiting to drive his new vehicle but that day never came because Dawson life was cut short by a heinous act of violence. My child was a good kid just trying to make a living for his self, he would see how i had to struggle as a parent and he just wanted to make it easier for the both of us. Dawson also had plans to be an electrician like his grandfather and continue my father's company Riverton Electric. Dawson had also completed his hvac, plumbing, and electrical 1 certificate while in highschool. Dawson has always been the type of child that love to be in good spirits and hated to see someone down. So many of Dawson's classmates and teachers reached out to my family after he passed to state just that, he was always putting a smile on their faces or just lifting up their spirits. As a mother you never know what type of person your kids will become but i can truly say I raised an amazing kid and he will truly be missed with broken hearts in our community and family. Us as the family was able to cover Dawson's burial but we are coming up short for his tombstone, Dawson loved to play video games so to honor his memory i would like to get him a tombstone the resembles his PlayStation and i don't have the funds to do so, and at this point this is all i can give my child. If you can and would like to help me make this one last gift for my Dawson possible it would be greatly appreciated. As mother we try to do our best for our children and even in death i will continue to do just that. If you would like to read more into Dawson's increidable heartbreaking story you can go to www.usatoday.com and search Waffle House shooting in Laurinburg Nc

Justice for Dawson