Fundraising for family of Castle Rock man shot dead in Florida climbs to $250,000

Two funds for the surviving household members of a young antheral who was changeable dormant successful Florida connected Tuesday nighttime combined reached astir $250,000.

Dustin Wakefield, 21, of Castle Rock, was shot astatine a Miami Beach restaurant arsenic helium protected his 1-year-old-son from the alleged shooter, Tamarius Blair Davis Jr., 22, of Norcross, Ga. Wakefield, a plumber’s apprentice, was with household successful Florida connected vacation.

On Thursday night, 2 GoFundMe pages combined, started by his household members, had much than 4,500 donors. One leafage had raised astir $226,000 arsenic of 7 p.m. Thursday, the different leafage conscionable nether $50,000.

Wakefield was a plumber’s apprentice with Design Mechanical Inc., said Carlos Vigil, a chap apprentice and adjacent friend.

“He was 1 of the champion radical I’ve ever met,” said Vigil, 26. “A existent humble individual.”

Vigil besides has a young son, astir the aforesaid property arsenic Wakefield’s boy.

“He was anxious and excited, helium loved being a household antheral and helium ever talked astir his woman and son,” Vigil said. “He had everything going for him.”

On Wakefield’s Linkedin page, helium talked astir however helium came to beryllium mechanically inclined.

“Ever since I was a kid, I would ever beryllium retired successful the store helping my dada with each the antithetic projects that helium had. He taught maine however to usage powerfulness tools correctly and safely, and the basics of however things work. Because of these experiences, I person go mechanically inclined and person nary occupation moving with each antithetic kinds of tools,” Wakefield said. “One of the astir important things helium taught maine was to beryllium a antheral of integrity. At first, I didn’t cognize what this meant, but person since learned that it means to beryllium a antheral of your word, adjacent erstwhile nary 1 is watching. It means to beryllium honorable and truthful, and to beryllium a antheral that everyone tin number on.”

Vigil recalled that Wakefield enjoyed doing elemental things to assistance radical get done their days, similar picking up a luncheon tab, offering a thrust location to idiosyncratic who needed one, and lending an receptor to perceive to a friend’s problems.

“He was omniscient mode beyond his years,” Vigil said. “It’s a shame, a shame helium was taken from us.”