In the early hours of September 26, 2020, a celebration inside a motorcycle club hangout in Waterloo, Iowa, turned into a scene of chaos and violence. Dacarious Terrell Burkett, a 22-year-old Black / African American male, was shot and killed during a birthday party at the unlicensed club located at 501 W. Fourth Street. The gunfire erupted, leaving another person, 28-year-old Takeya M. Hogan-Camp, dead and six others wounded.
The unexpected violence left Burkett's family and his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child, in a state of grief. This was not the first time he had been a victim of gun violence, as he had been shot and injured just months prior outside another after-hours club in the city.
The investigation into the deadly shooting led authorities to a suspect, Willie Saffold Jr. He was subsequently arrested and charged with the killings of Burkett and Hogan-Camp. The case against Saffold proceeded to trial, where prosecutors presented their evidence. The defense argued that while surveillance footage showed Saffold firing a weapon, he did so in self-defense. Furthermore, his lawyer contended that he was not responsible for firing the shots that proved to be fatal for the two victims.
In February 2025, the trial concluded with a verdict from the jury. After deliberation, Willie Saffold Jr. was found not guilty on all counts related to the deaths of Dacarious Burkett and Takeya Hogan-Camp. The acquittal left the question of who fired the fatal shots unanswered in the eyes of the law, and no other arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Burkett's girlfriend organized a fundraiser to help the family with the unexpected funeral expenses.
