In a heartbreaking tribute released earlier on Wednesday, Mr Dawson’s family described him as “a much-loved father, granddad and partner who will be greatly missed”
A man has been charged with the murder of a ‘much-loved’ grandfather who was shot dead through the window of his home in County Durham last weekend. Police investigating the fatal shooting of 60-year-old Barry Dawson have confirmed two people have now been charged in relation to the case.
Barry Dawson, 60, was inside a terraced home on Elm Street in Stanley, County Durham, on Saturday afternoon when he was fatally shot through a downstairs window. Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 5:20pm but despite the best efforts of medics, Mr Dawson sadly died at the scene.
Kevin Dorward, 38, of Annfield Plain, County Durham, has now been charged with murder while Michaela Hetherington, 35, also of Annfield Plain, has been charged with perverting the course of justice. Both have been remanded in custody and will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 10.
Durham Police confirmed a 21-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the case on Wednesday, April 9, while a 20-year-old man and 49-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three remain in police custody.
In a heartbreaking tribute released earlier on Wednesday, Mr Dawson’s family described him as “a much-loved father, granddad and partner who will be greatly missed”. A statement said: “We are truly devastated, and his loss will leave an enormous gap in our lives.”
Mr Dawson’s family continue to be supported by specialist family liaison officers. A postmortem examination revealed Mr Dawson died of a single gunshot wound.
Tributes were paid to Barry on social media following his death. Dawn Watson said in a post shared to Facebook: “RIP Barry Dawson (Buck). Such a gentle giant with a heart of gold who didn’t hurt a soul. So, so sad that you’ve been taken in the most hideous way. Thinking of your family at this sad time, my heart goes out to you all.”
Margaret Smith added: “Oh no way, he was a lovely man. Thinking of his family at this very heart-breaking time.” Beverley Ann Price commented: “OMG, no way I remember him from school. Thinking of his family at this sad time.” While Carole Penrose said: “Aww, so heart-breaking, man.”
Durham Police said a 35-strong team of detectives from its major crime team continues to investigate the shooting, with support from armed response officers, specialist crime scene examiners, search teams and neighbourhood officers.
The force said there will continue to be a significant police presence in the Elm Street area of South Moor, Stanley, where Mr Dawson lived. Anyone with any information is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 302 of April 5.
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