In the early morning hours of August 24, 2012, the life of 17-year-old Kareem Fedd was tragically cut short in his Allentown, Pennsylvania home. An African American male, Fedd was discovered by his mother, Jeani Haskins, when she returned from work around 4 a.m. to a horrific scene. She found her son in his bedroom, having been shot multiple times as he slept in his own bed. Despite immediate medical intervention, he succumbed to his injuries at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
The initial shock and grief for the family were compounded by a long and arduous wait for answers.
For nearly six years, the case remained a painful open wound for the community and Fedd's loved ones. Investigators worked to piece together the events of that fatal night. The breakthrough came in July 2018, when authorities announced the arrest of Quante Cruz, who was 28 at the time. The investigation revealed that the motive was a grim act of retaliation connected to a rival gang shooting. It was determined that Cruz had climbed a fire escape, gained entry to the teen's bedroom by pushing in an air conditioner, and then committed the fatal shooting. The murder weapon was later identified as a gun obtained through a straw purchase.
In January 2020, justice was finally delivered, though it could never erase the family's pain. Quante Cruz pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and burglary for his role in the death of Kareem Fedd, who was about to begin his senior year at William Allen High School. During the court proceedings, Fedd's mother, Jeani Haskins, confronted her son's killer, expressing her anguish by telling him he had killed the wrong person. Cruz was sentenced to 25 to 60 years in state prison, closing a significant chapter in a long and heartbreaking story of youth and gang violence that had deeply affected the Allentown community.
