16 year-old charged in Gaston County teen’s murder

GASTONIA,  NC — Gaston County police arrested and charged a 16- year- old for shooting and killing another teen while he was walking to the store Sunday. 

Eveleana Dawkins said her favorite thing about her 16 – year – old grandson  Zaquavious “Tank” Dawkins is his smile. 

“Just his smile.Just to look at him and he’s smiling and he was one of the happiest kids in the world,” grandmother Eveleana Dawkins said. 

That smile is now just a memory. 

“He didn’t deserve to be shot down like that. He wasn’t that type of kid,” Dawkins said. 

Dawkins was shot and killed Sunday while walking to a store on North Chester Street to pick up things for his disabled mother.

Tuesday, Gaston County police arrested and charged the accused shooter — 16 year old Sean James Curtis Simpson with first degree murder and attempted first degree murder.

Dawkins said Simpson was one of Tank’s classmates.

“I just want to know why. What made you want to do that,” Dawkins said. 

 Dawkins said  the two got into an altercation  last year that she thought had been resolved.

She said  this recent act of violence took the life of an honor roll student, a player on the varsity football team and a good kid who did his best to take care of his disabled mother. 

“He will be missed. I just don’t know what we are going to do right now because my mind is just confused.

She said  the tragic loss is a painful reminder that youth gun violence needs to stop.

 It’s just not right.I don’t know what we have to do or how we have to do it, but something’s got to change.”

Sean Curtis Simpson will appear in court Wednesday afternoon. 

The family has a Go Fund me set up to help with funeral costs.