Who is Kevin K Dawkins? NJ house party shooting suspect found lying beside tree holding gun is a sex offender
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: According to a criminal complaint, the man charged with weapons violations in the Saturday, May 22, shooting that killed two people and injured 12 in a house party in New Jersey, was arrested in a neighboring town, lying beside a tree with a pistol in his hand.
At a press conference led by Governor Phil Murphy on Monday, May 24 morning, local and state authorities confirmed the arrest of Kevin K Dawkins, 36 as a suspect in the case. They haven't revealed how he's connected to the 11:30 pm Saturday shooting at a house on East Commerce Street in Fairfield, which scattered partygoers as they tried to escape the gunshots.
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Who is Kevin K. Dawkins?
Bridgerton man, Dawkins, 36, was arrested and charged with several counts of firearm possession and use. The prosecutor's office is said to have sought pretrial arrest, according to Fox News. Unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a large-capacity magazine, another individual not to have a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful reason were among the charges leveled against Dawkins.
Dawkins is the same man identified on New Jersey's sex offender register, according to a law enforcement official. According to police, Dawkins was convicted of aggravated sexual assault in 2004 for an incident involving a juvenile female acquaintance.“This was not a random act of violence,” state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said of the house party violence during a press conference Monday morning. “This was a targeted attack.” Based on an anonymous call, police said they found him in a wooded area behind the Maple Garden Apartment Complex lying beside a tree and holding the handgun in his right hand. NJ101.5 reports police said he complied with an officer's order to drop his weapon.
An unknown number of people around 11:50 pm entered the ’90s-themed party and opened fire, killing two people: Asia Hester, 25, and Kevin Elliot, 30. According to officials, approximately 700 people attended the gathering. “Several” remain in dire condition, prosecutors said, according to the New York Post.
Dawkins lives in the 800 block of East Commerce Street, which is just under three miles from the shooting site, as are the Maple Street apartments, NJ.com reported. Officer Dominic Pizzo arrested Dawkins about 1:30 am on Sunday, according to records. The gun is a Glock 23 model with a calibre of.40 calibre and 22 bullets. He made a virtual presence in Cumberland County Superior Court on Monday, May 24 afternoon. Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said he would return to court on Thursday, May 27, for a detention hearing, where the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office will request that he be held pending trial.
Dawkins was taken into custody on Sunday, May 23 and booked at Cumberland County Jail. Authorities have not said if Dawkins was a suspect in the homicides, although they have said that more suspects are being investigated in connection with the carnage. “We’re working with our federal partners to determine where these guns originated from, and whether they can be linked to other recent acts of violence in the area,” Grewal said.
No motive has been released in the shooting, but some attendees said on May 23 it might have been a turf war between groups of local young men.