A man has been charged with the murder of a ‘much-loved’ grandad was shot dead through the window of his home in County Durham on Saturday.
Barry Dawson, 60, was inside his terraced house on Elm Street, Stanley, when the front window was smashed and a gun was fired inside. He died at the scene.
His family said: ‘Barry was a much-loved father, granddad and partner who will be greatly missed.
‘We are truly devastated, and his loss will leave an enormous gap in our lives.’
Kevin Dorward, a 38 and from Annfield Plain, has now been charged with his murder.
A 35-year-old woman, Michaela Hetherington, also of Annfield Plain, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.
Both are due to appear in court on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, police arrested three more people. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Another two – a man, 20, and a woman, 49 – have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Police said: ‘A 35-strong team of detectives from our major crime team continue to work around the clock, with support from armed response officers, specialist crime scene examiners, search teams, and neighbourhood officers.
‘Several lines of enquiry are being pursued and the community will have noticed there has been significant police activity and they can expect this activity to continue for a significant period of time.’
Mr Dawson, who worked at the KP Snacks crisp factory, was described by a friend as a ‘thoroughly decent man’.
Wishing to stay anonymous, they said: ‘He was a popular man in the community, everybody knew him and he has a large family who are completely devastated by this.
‘Barry had quite a few kids over the years and he loved them all, I can’t imagine what his family is going through right now.
‘To have a shooting like this happen in a small town like Stanley is unbelievable.’
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