Deontae Abron, 31, male, Black, was shot during a crowded house party in north Lincoln in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 12, 2021. Police were called just after 4 a.m. to the 6000 block of Adams Street, where officers found him with a gunshot wound to the face. He was taken for treatment and died days later on Tuesday, June 15, at a hospital in Omaha.
Investigators said the violence followed a fight that broke out among several people, prompting multiple gunshots as attendees scattered from the scene. Police appealed for witnesses to come forward, including anyone with cellphone video from the party.
Detectives canvassed the neighborhood and gathered surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses, as well as video from locations the partygoers had visited earlier in the night. According to court documents, that evidence showed brothers Shantrel and Daqwan Hickey among a group seen around Lincoln s Railyard entertainment district before the shooting; later video from the party captured a large brawl and Shantrel raising a handgun toward Abron. On July 6, 2021, officers arrested Daqwan during a traffic stop and served a search warrant at Shantrel s residence minutes later, taking him into custody. Police said Daqwan was observed firing a gun into the air, while Shantrel fired in the victim s direction. Shantrel Hickey, 26, was booked on second-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony, and felon-in-possession charges; Daqwan Hickey, 24, was arrested on a felon-in-possession charge. Shantrel was held without bond at his initial appearance as the case proceeded.
In the days after the shooting, Abron s family shared that he had sought a fresh start in Nebraska and was nearing his 32nd birthday when his life was cut short. They described him as gentle by nature despite his size and remembered him for his generosity and heart.
