On a cold January night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a plan set in motion by two cousins would end in tragedy. Andrew Dontae Gaston, an 18-year-old Black/African American male, and his 16-year-old cousin, Tyrell J. Gaston, arranged to meet 17-year-old Kyler D. Carson in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 3217 Agin Court N.E. on January 24, 2020. The purpose of the late-night meeting was a marijuana deal, but the cousins had a different intention: to rob Carson.
They had lured him to the location under the pretense of buying 45 pre-rolled marijuana tubes for $900.
When Carson arrived and began the transaction with the occupants of a car, the situation quickly escalated into violence. Andrew Gaston, along with his cousin Tyrell and an unidentified third person, ambushed Carson from behind. Andrew struck Carson in the back of the head with a metal object. In the chaotic moments that followed, Carson spun around, and gunfire was exchanged between him and Tyrell Gaston. When the shooting stopped, Andrew Gaston lay dying from a gunshot wound to his chest. His cousin, Tyrell, had been shot in the ankle.
Cedar Rapids police officers responded to reports of gunfire just before midnight. Upon arrival, they discovered the two wounded teenagers in the parking lot. Both were transported to a local hospital, but Andrew Dontae Gaston succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead in the early hours of Saturday morning. Tyrell Gaston's ankle wound was not life-threatening. The investigation into the fatal shooting revealed it was not a random act of violence but a robbery that had gone horribly wrong. Both Carson and Tyrell Gaston had disposed of their weapons after fleeing the scene.
The investigation led to the arrests of Kyler D. Carson and Tyrell J. Gaston in March 2020. Carson faced charges including Voluntary Manslaughter and Delivery of a Controlled Substance. Tyrell Gaston was charged with first-degree robbery, among other offenses. Ultimately, Kyler Carson, then 20, pleaded guilty to lesser charges including assault and was sentenced to three years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to Andrew Gaston's family. Tyrell Gaston received a sentence of three years' probation for second-degree robbery in connection with the deadly incident. He was later taken back into custody on unrelated attempted murder charges.
