Left inset: Arel Dawkins (Greene County Jail). Right inset: Braisen Cain (GoFundMe). Background: The 4000 block of Morrell Avenue in Kansas City, Mo., where Dawkins is accused of fatally striking and shooting Cain (Google Maps).
Authorities allege that a Missouri man violently attacked his pregnant ex-girlfriend last week — hitting her with his car and then firing over 20 shots at her, reportedly reloading after exhausting his ammunition, following their recent separation.
Arel Dawkins, a resident of Blue Springs, faces first-degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Braisen Cain last Wednesday on Morrell Avenue, as per the Kansas City Police Department.
Dakwins” probable cause statement details how he fired off 21 rounds from a .40 caliber pistol while taking Cain’s life.
Neighbors and others acquainted with Cain spoke to law enforcement, allegedly identifying Dawkins as the perpetrator and providing a cell phone video as evidence showing him running over Cain and shooting her while she lay in a yard, based on the probable cause document.
The document mentions Cain’s recent breakup with Dawkins and her pregnancy with his child. Dawkins allegedly confessed to an old school acquaintance who cuts his hair, stating during a phone conversation that he had first hit Cain with his vehicle before opening fire, police claim.
Video evidence obtained by Kansas City officers reportedly shows Dawkins exiting the driver’s seat of his Ford F-150, while the truck begins to roll backward after colliding with Cain, according to the probable cause statement.
“Dawkins points a firearm at [Cain] as she is lying in the yard and shoots her several times at close range,” the statement charges. “Dawkins then turns and walks towards the street and once he is in the street, he turned towards [Cain] and began firing at her again.”
Cops say “several 911 calls” were received at the time from Dawkins’ family, claiming he contacted them and confessed to murder, along with threatening to die by suicide. Dawkins was later pointed out in a photographic lineup after he was located in Springfield through phone pinging by the police.
Dawkins was being held Sunday without bond in the Greene County Jail.
