Lake County mother mourns son killed in Memorial Day weekend shooting – 9&10 News

IDLEWILD – A mother devastated by the shooting death of her adult son over Memorial Day weekend is sharing her memories of who he was and what he meant to his family.

The shooting occurred early Saturday morning near the Chamber of Commerce in Idlewild and killed 32-year-old Rashad Hawkins.

Details of the shooting are not available tonight as the sheriff’s office is still investigating.

Marlena Hawkins said she still can’t believe her son’s death.

“Oh my God, my baby is gone. I’ll never see him again. Oh, I’ll never see him again. I just don’t want any mother to have to go through that,” Marlena said.

She said she could still remember the call from the mother of her son’s little boy.

“She screamed, ‘They shot him, they killed her.’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ She said, ‘They shot him. They killed him. I don’t know what to do. They shot him and killed him.’ She told me she was sorry and everything,” Marlena said.

Hawkins said Rashad, known to most as Ray, did not deserve what happened to him.

He was a family man who left behind six children aged between 7 months and 11 years and had another on the way.

“I just want justice. I want my baby back. But I got everything back. I can’t get him back, I can’t get him back,” Marlena said.

As Marlena prepares to bury her first child, his sister Diamond Hawkins remembers the joy he brought to the world.

“He was a really happy person. He loved listening to music. He loved R&B and Michael Jackson. He loved dancing to Michael Jackson. My mother would play Michael Jackson just to watch him dance,” Diamond said.

Diamond said he also brought a lot of laughter to everyone around him.

“He loved to make jokes about everyone and make everyone laugh. He thought he was a chef, but he wasn’t a better chef than me,” Diamond said.

Diamond said her brother loved to cook and they even held cooking competitions, but his main job was working in construction.

“He was a roofer. And he was about to start a new job. He travels all over the United States where there are tornadoes and hurricanes. And he did roofing work for that. And he was supposed to start his new job on Tuesday,” Marlena said.

Hawkins said they would release balloons in memory of Ray and protest outside the courthouse on Friday to ensure he gets justice.

“I just pray, I have to pray. And I have to keep fighting. I have to keep fighting. I have to keep going up the chain to keep going up. I’ve been on the phone. I just have to keep fighting,” Marlena said.

Regarding the investigation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office stated that the shooting stemmed from a previous argument and that a man was arrested in connection with the shooting.

He is awaiting trial for murder.