Jarrell Pryor had no idea that going on a date with a stranger he met on Instagram would end his life. The 26-year-old single dad went on the fatal date with a young woman on a Saturday evening in January, according to PEOPLE.
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Single Dad Fatally Shot After Going On Date With Stranger
He had been messaging 19-year-old Alexis Hawkins through Instagram and wanted to take her on a date. He ended up driving them to a McDonald’s, then a liquor store, not knowing what she had planned. Hawkins had been allegedly texting her boyfriend at the time, which Pryor didn’t know about.
This was all a planned ambush for the single father of a 3-year-old girl named Honey. Pryor was found dead just less than two hours after he met up with Hawkins. This was shortly after 1 AM on January 25, and he was found with multiple bullet wounds. Pryor eventually died in the hospital.
Investigators caught onto Hawkins’ plot after finding Pryor’s phone at the crime scene. Two weeks after the father’s death, the cops managed to track down Hawkins. She denied being involved in Pryor’s death. Hawkins also claimed that all she remembered from that night was running to safety after hearing gunshots.
The detectives didn’t believe a word from her mouth, as they had proof of her weird texts. They asked about her texts from that night to an unknown person about needing money and making a “play real fast.” Once they brought that up, Hawkins said nothing else besides asking for a lawyer.
Authorities have now charged Hawkins and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Brian Winston Jr., with murder and attempted robbery.
Remembering Jarrell Pryor
Pryor’s friends and family have been devastated since his tragic death. “He had so many plans,” said Tamekia Wiley, Pryor’s mother. “He always wanted to better himself.”
Pryor was raising Honey alongside his ex-girlfriend, and she’s now living full-time with the mother, Ja’halha Feemster. When talking to Honey’s great-grandmother Patricia Bradshaw, she mentioned how the death has affected the little girl.
“I know she misses him,” said Bradshaw to the outlet. “She looks around and says ‘Da-Da,’ and I tear up because she was cheated out of her father.”
Those who knew Pryor best remembered him for his kindness and humor. “He was one of those people you just couldn’t stay away from,” said Pryor’s friend Anijah Randle. “Even if you bumped heads, he would make you just forget you’re mad.”
Honey’s father had hopes of becoming a professional video gamer. Despite his love of Call of Duty games, his number one focus was being a father. Loved ones also recalled how stylish Pryor was, and he made sure his daughter was too by buying her Air Jordan sneakers.