A Florida man has admitted to killing a father who tried to shield his 1-year-old son during a terrifying shooting in Miami after the gunman allegedly pointed a pistol at the child and declared, “it’s time to die.”
Dustin Wakefield, 21, of Colorado, “stood up between the gunman and the baby” before Tamarius Davis, 27, opened fire and killed him, according to Wakefield’s family, who spoke with the Miami Herald following the August 2021 shooting.
“This guy came in with a gun waving it, saying it’s time to die,” Wakefield’s uncle, Mike Wakefield, told the newspaper. “He pointed the gun at his son and Dustin said, ‘He’s only a boy.'”
Davis, who was 22 when the shooting occurred, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder. According to Wakefield’s uncle, Davis shot Wakefield “multiple times” while he was lying on the ground.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime states that Wakefield suffered at least one gunshot wound to the head. According to the affidavit, several witnesses watched the shooting happen and identified Davis as the gunman.
“I know that he decidedly chose to lay his life down and protect people even in that place of being shot, because more people could have died that day,” Wakefield’s mother, Lora Wakefield, told local NBC affiliate KUSA after Davis entered his guilty plea last week. “He was not only a hero of my grandbaby but a hero of many around him.”
Court documents allege Davis was “high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered,” at the time of the shooting. Wakefield had been sitting with his family at a sidewalk cafe in the 1400 block of Ocean Drive when the violence erupted.
Davis allegedly told police he “randomly chose” the Wakefield family.
“I forgive the guy, but I also believe in consequences to the choices that you make,” Lora Wakefield said. “You just can’t take a life. You took my son’s life, you gave him no mercy, so I believe he needs to do life in prison.”
A sentencing date for Davis has not yet been scheduled.
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