Left inset: Dustin Wakefield (GoFundMe). Right inset: Tamarius Davis (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation). Background: The sidewalk cafe in Miami, Fla., where Dustin Wakefield was shot and killed by Tamarius Davis while protecting his son (WPLG/YouTube).
A Florida man has admitted to killing a father who was protecting his 1-year-old son from him in Miami after the man pointed a pistol at the boy and said “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 murdered him, according to Wakefield’s family, who spoke to the Miami Herald after the slaying happened in August 2021.
“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 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder. He shot Wakefield “multiple times” while the victim was on the ground, according to Wakefield’s uncle.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime says Wakefield was shot at least once in the head. Multiple witnesses saw the shooting unfold and identified Davis as the gunman, according to the affidavit.
“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 pleaded guilty last week. “He was not only a hero of my grandbaby but a hero of many around him.”
Davis was allegedly “high on mushrooms, which made him feel empowered,” when the shooting occurred, according to court documents. Wakefield was with his family at a sidewalk cafe located in the 1400 block of Ocean Drive.
Davis 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.”
Davis’ sentencing date has not been set yet.
