'An all-star on the field' | Friends and former teammates to honor Davie County mother, kids who were killed

DAVIE COUNTY, N.C. — Community members are doing everything they can to help a grieving family after a murder-suicide rocked Davie County last week.

The sheriff's office said a man shot and killed his girlfriend and their two children – a 4-year-old and an 8-month-old last week.

• Mother, Ashton Brown, 26
• Daughter, Bella, 4
• Son, Brixx, 8 months
• Father, Aschod Ewing-Meeks, 26

Davie County Sheriff JD Hartman said the man then lit the house on fire and turned the gun on himself. Investigators said the gun was still in his hand when they found his body. 

RELATED: Family seen inside Davie County Sheriff's Office before murder-suicide

Now, community members are planning an upcoming event to honor the mother and her two children. 

Valerie Langley is one of those community members. She said she used to play softball with Ashton Brown. Langley said Brown loved softball and that's why she wanted to plan a tournament to honor her memory.

RELATED: Listen: Davie County mother's call to sheriff's office before murder-suicide

"Me and Ashton grew up together playing ball with the Davie County little league," Langley said. "She was definitely an all-star on the field."

Langley, along with several others, is in the process of planning a softball tournament to honor Brown.

"Since we found out about everything that happened, it's just kind of stuck with me," Langley said. "The Lord had laid it on my heart, I just kept hearing in my head softball tournament, softball tournament."

It will be Saturday, June 4h at the fields behind the Smith Grove Fire Department off of US-158. While Langley continues grieving the loss of her old friend and former teammate, she said the way everyone has come together to help shows just how loved Brown and her children were.

"It just shows how much of an impact that just Ashton herself and her kids have made in other people's lives," Langley said. "She just is somebody that touched so many people along the way and people want to help."

The tournament will start at 8 a.m. that Saturday. They already filled the six teams but if you want to help,  they are still looking for vendors and items for a silent auction. Langley said all the money raised will go to Brown's mother.