'She was the one that brought us all together': Brother remembers sister struck, killed by gunfire
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Over the weekend, Carlin Hawthorne was out for a fun night with her friends. Her brother says she was supposed to be the designated driver.
“If Carlin is here, or as people know, if Lin Lin is there, you know, you're going to have a good time, you're going to get home safe," said Herman Hawthorne.
But unfortunately, a fight led to reckless gunfire outside of the Casablanca Event Center near NW 28th Street and Portland Ave.
"Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop sound,” said John Patterson, who lives nearby. “About 20 of them."
Another woman who lives nearby, Jane Fernandez, added that it sounded like a “war zone.”
Carlin, an innocent bystander, was caught in the middle of it.
“This victim was simply sitting in their vehicle when the gunfire rang out and was struck,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk with the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Hawthorne said his little sister was the family’s rock.
“She was the one that brought us all together because she has so much love to give,” said Hawthorne.
Police say three others were shot but are going to survive.
Tenants at a nearby apartment complex told KFOR they want to see the event center close down.
"It brings a lot of chaos over here every weekend since I've been here and my last six months, it has been bad. Very bad,” said Fernandez.
No arrests have been made yet. Police and the Hawthorne family are asking anyone with information to come forward.
“That would mean the world to my family to figure out who did this and for them to be brought to justice because no one deserves this,” said Hawthorne.
We reached out to the Casablanca Event Center for comment but did not hear back.
The Hawthorne’s set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for funeral expenses. The link is here.