CLAIRTON, Pa. — A few days after police arrested a suspect accused of killing a 19-year-old woman at a bus stop outside Atlanta, the victim was remembered in Pittsburgh.
Marcaysia Dawkins grew up in Clairton before moving to Georgia in March 2013 and graduating from Lithonia High School, according to her obituary.
"Marcaysia loved the Lord, and he was her strength and strong tower," the obituary said.
In Georgia, she worked at a child care center outside Atlanta and planned to join the U.S. Navy next year, Dawkins' uncle, Hassan Jackson, said.
"She loved kids," he said.
A funeral service was held Monday at Morning Star Baptist Church, in Clairton.
Hundreds of Dawkins’ family members and friends attended the services to remember Marcaysia.
“God -- that’s the only way I’m finding the strength, and all this love and support from family,” said Dawkins’ mother, Charisma Dawkins. “She was a beautiful young lady. She was a lovely young lady and a spiritual young lady.”
Friends told Channel 11 News they’re still coping with Dawkins’ death.
“People don’t seem to realize that it’s bad all over the United States. It’s not just Clairton. From what I understand, Marcaysia was living in Atlanta for a while, and the area she was in was supposed to be a very nice area,” friend Art Jones said.
A fugitive squad on Friday took the man into custody without incident, DeKalb County police Capt. Steve Fore said.
According to Channel 11's sister station WSB-TV in Atlanta, the suspect was identified as 18-year-old Christopher Oliver Merritt.
Police say officers found Dawkins lying on a bench with a gunshot wound at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority stop in the Lithonia area around 10 a.m. Nov. 23.
Surveillance video shows a man walking over to the bench and sitting down, then struggling with Dawkins as cars drive by on a nearby street. In the video, the man appears to take something from Dawkins and run away.
Police said they got a break from a clerk who works at a store near the bus stop.
"The store clerk was looking at the video and noticed the clothes that the guy had on and remembered him and said, 'You know what? That guy was in here Saturday,'" Jackson told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The man frequently walked through the area wearing the same clothes, Jackson said. He believes the gunman saw an opportunity at the bus stop to rob Dawkins, though he didn't get away with much money.
"I know she left out of the house with maybe, like, $50 that day," Jackson said.
She planned to take the bus to a MARTA station to reload her transit card and also planned to stop at a gym, he said.
Jackson said he felt police would make an arrest but didn't expect it to happen so soon.
"I didn't expect it to happen this fast, but I knew DeKalb County police were very adamant about catching this guy," he said.
RELATED STORIES:
- Police make arrest after woman killed at bus stop
- Arrest made in shooting death of Clairton woman at Atlanta bus stop
- Woman from Clairton fatally shot at Atlanta bus stop
WPXI
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
