A North Carolina teenager broke down in tears in court after being charged as an adult for murder.
According to local media outlet WCCB, 16-year-old Sean Simpson was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killing of 16-year-old Zaquavious Dawkins in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Jan. 26.
Appearing at Gaston County Courthouse on Jan. 29, Simpson was overcome with emotion as the judge read his charges and appointed him a capital defender. Simpson will be tried as an adult and is being held without bail, per WCCB.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, an amendment to North Carolina’s “Raise the Age” law came into effect on Dec. 1, 2024, and allows 16 and 17-year-olds to be tried as adults for felonies A through E, which includes murder.
Footage shared by WCCB showed Simpson crying and placing his head in his handcuffed hands. He then shouted, “I love you, Mama, I love you,” as officers led him out of the courtroom.
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Zaquavious Dawkins
WCCB reported that Dawkins was walking to a store on North Chester Street to buy items for his disabled mother when Simpson allegedly shot him.
“He gave me a kiss. He said, ‘I’ll be back.’ I said, ‘I love you too,’ ” Dawkins’ mother Tilise told local media outlet 7 News.
PEOPLE has contacted the Gaston Police Department for comment.
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Sean Simpson crying at the Gaston County Courthouse on Jan. 29, 2025
According to local media outlet the Gaston Gazette, a witness to the shooting told police that he and Simpson had fought the previous school year at Ashbrook High School.
A boy who had been walking with Dawkins from a Family Dollar store on Jan. 26 told detectives that a black Tesla drove past them and a boy in the back seat — who he identified as Simpson — shouted something out of the window.
Dawkins and his friend then began to run when the car returned again, but Simpson allegedly began shooting from the back of a vehicle, according to an affidavit submitted by officer J.R. Robinson, per the Gaston Gazette.
Dawkins was found covered in blood in a parking lot and had a gunshot wound to his right shoulder, per Robinson’s affidavit. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
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“He was sweet,” Dawkins’ aunt Denise Wilson told WCCB last month. “He was kind. He would do anything for anybody. I mean, all you have to do is just say, ‘Tank, will you go do this? Yes, ma’am. Yes, sir.’ “
“[You’re] out here doing big boy things, and this is what’s going to happen,” Wilson added to WCCB. “You got to suffer the consequences.”
Ashbrook High School also paid tribute to Dawkins in a Facebook post on Jan. 27.
“Remembering Zaquavious “Tank” Dawkins,” they wrote alongside a photo of him. “The Green Wave family is heartbroken as we remember Zaquavious ‘Tank’ Dawkins, a truly special young man loved by so many.”
“Tank was not only a scholar-athlete but also a kind and thoughtful soul who touched the lives of everyone around him,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. Tank will forever be a part of the Green Wave.”
They added, “Rest in peace, Tank. Your legacy will live on in our hearts.”
Two days after Dawkins’ death, Simpson was arrested at Gaston Adolescent Center, where he had been undergoing treatment, per the Gaston Gazette. According to the center’s website, the center treats “children and adolescents that have significant emotional and behavioral difficulties.”
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