Shooting at Laurinburg Waffle House leaves 1 employee dead; police looking for gunman

LAURINBURG, S.C. (WBTW) — A manhunt is underway for a gunman who allegedly fatally shot an 18-year-old Waffle House employee.

Officers arrived at the Waffle House on Scotland Crossing Drive at 12:42 a.m. Friday where they found an employee, Burlie Locklear, suffering from a gunshot wound. Locklear was transported to Scotland Memorial Hospital where he later died.

The investigation revealed that the suspect came to the business and ordered food. While the food was being prepared, the suspect became agitated and verbally abusive toward the employees, according to police.

Once the food was provided, the suspect walked toward the parking lot, turned and fired two shots in the direction of the business, hitting Locklear, police said.

Police described the suspect as a man with long dreads and a beard, about 5-foot 9 inches tall and 150 pounds.

He was last seen wearing a dark blue pullover hoodie, jeans, and white shoes. He was operating a dark gray Chevrolet, last seen driving on Scotland Crossing Drive toward W. Boulevard.

Waffle House provided News13 with the following statement after the shooting.

“We are mourning the tragic death of one of our Waffle House Associates, who was the victim of an outrageous act of violence early this morning at our Laurinburg, NC restaurant.”

“The death of our Associate, 18-year-old Burlie Dawson Locklear, known simply as “Dawson” to his friends and family, is horrific. We offer our sincerest and deepest sympathy to his family and friends. We are offering free counseling services to our Associates as we all mourn this tragic loss of life.“

“We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate this matter. We will do whatever we can to help the authorities find and arrest this murderer. We refer all media questions concerning the investigation to local law enforcement. We will have no further comment at this time.”

The suspect is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to contact Laurinburg Police Department Lt. White, at 910-276-3211.

Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.

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