A shooting occurred at a Waffle House in Laurinburg, North Carolina, early Friday morning, leaving an 18-year-old employee dead.
Laurinburg Police Lt. Chris Young said Burley Dawson Locklear was working at the restaurant when a customer opened fire. WPDE.
Authorities said the incident happened around 12:45 a.m. The suspect, described as a black man with light skin, long dreadlocks and a beard, became angry and yelled profanities while waiting for his food. ABC11.
After receiving his meal, the suspect reportedly walked to his car, turned around and fired two shots into the restaurant, fatally wounding Locklear. ABC11 reported the suspect then fled the scene in a dark gray Chevrolet, believed to be a 2014 model. (RELATED: Donnie Wahlberg Leaves $2,000 Tip at Waffle House)
Locklear was taken to Scotland Memorial Hospital where he later died from his injuries. This was the second shooting at the Waffle House location in the past year.
There have been other shootings at Waffle House restaurants across the country: In 2020, a man shot and killed a Waffle House cook after he was asked to wear a mask to be served, and in a separate incident, a gunman shot and killed a patron who handed out $20 bills to another patron.
WARNING: BLOODY 🚨 A man films himself and another man after a shooting at a Waffle House in Lynchburg, Virginia. Please stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/Zyu0Elr7vS
— Koki (@Zucoki) April 22, 2024
Michael Eds, a local pastor who lives near the Laurinburg Waffle House, expressed frustration with the increase in violence in the area.
“A young man trying to make a living was shot and killed by a violent criminal. We must do more,” Eds told ABC 11. Eds called for increased police patrols around the store, especially at night, stressing the need for proactive measures.
