Shrine to Goldean Hawkins, 1900 Newton St NE

Shrine to Goldean Hawkins, 1900 Newton St NE, Washington DC.

Material adapted from the Washington Post 6/9/09

Goldean Hawkins, 26, mother of two children, was stabbed to death on the playground of the Burroughs Elementary School May 31st, 2009. Her terrified screams for help prompted neighbors to summon police.

The man accused of killing her died a violent death himself after being seen near the her funeral.
Allen L. Haggins, 38, was struck by police bullets and by a shot he fired himself in the 600 block of L St SE, while services were being held a few blocks away for Ms. Hawkins.

"Justice has been served," Hawkins’s mother said after the funeral.

Haggins had shared an apartment with Hawkins, and was charged in a warrant in her death. Officers were posted at Hawkins’s funeral at St. Matthews Baptist Church, on New Jersey Ave SE.
The slain woman’s mother said that authorities "had word" that Haggins would likely appear at or near the funeral. About 11 a.m., members of the Regional Joint Fugitive Task force were five blocks from the church, when they sighted Haggins.
When Haggins saw the officers, he ran to a parking lot at 6th and L streets. Police said he drew a handgun.
Two of the officers then fired their weapons, hitting Haggins. An additional gunshot wound was apparently self-inflicted. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Neighbors held a vigil for Ms. Hawkins on the school grounds where she was slain.
A church member remembered her as "a fun-loving girl" who seemed to be "upbeat all the time" while active at St. Matthews. She sang in the choir as a child.
Community residents said they considered the killing an act of domestic violence.