MOUNT AIRY, NC — A Monday morning shooting has claimed the life of Brittney Funk, a five-months-pregnant woman, and left her mother, Tammy Hawks, critically injured. The tragic incident unraveled following an argument and ended with the perpetrator, Evan Burcham, taking his own life, officials said.

The Surry County Sheriff’s Office, alongside the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, investigated the scene at King Park Circle, where the two women were found with gunshot wounds. Funk’s family, devastated by the sudden loss, is grappling with grief during what should be a joyous holiday season.

For Jasmine Brooks, Funk’s sister, the whole ordeal feels surreal. “It feels like I am in a dream, well, a nightmare,” she expressed, recounting the moment her mother’s boyfriend opened fire the morning after a heated altercation.

Burcham, identified as Hawks’ boyfriend, is said to have shot Hawks in the neck and Funk fatally before leaving the scene and later dying by suicide. The heartbreaking event adds another layer of sorrow for the family, who lost another loved one, Steven Gwyn, to gun violence in the same location five years prior.

Marshall Hawks, Funk’s father, recalled the tragic Monday events with disbelief. “He shot Brittney for no reason. All she wanted to do was check on her mom, that was it,” he lamented, expressing the senselessness of the act that took his daughter’s life.

The family is currently rallying around Tammy Hawks, who remains in a critical yet stable condition at a local hospital. Her ability to open her eyes brings a glimmer of hope to her grieving family amid their turmoil.

Kelsi Collins, Funk’s cousin, fondly remembered her cousin’s joyful spirit, noting how both Funk and Hawks have always been the ones to bring smiles to others, a testament to their resilient and loving natures.

While the ordeal has brought immeasurable pain, the family is leaning into memories of happier moments shared with Funk, clinging to her legacy of warmth and laughter.