On a cold February evening in 2019, the life of Chekesha Clark, a 29-year-old Black/African American woman, was tragically cut short in Altoona, Iowa. The events of February 22nd unfolded in the parking lot of an Applebee's restaurant, where Chekesha had arranged to meet with Kalen Burgess, the 30-year-old father of her youngest child. The meeting was intended to be a conversation, but it soon escalated into a heated argument.
As the dispute intensified, Burgess produced a handgun and,
in a shocking act of violence, shot Chekesha. The sound of the gunshot pierced the evening air, and Chekesha was left fatally wounded in the parking lot. Law enforcement was called to the scene at approximately 11 p.m., where they found her body. Burgess had fled immediately after the shooting, sparking a search by authorities.
A few hours later, in the early morning of February 23rd, the investigation led officers to a residence in Des Moines for a welfare check. There, they discovered Kalen Burgess outside the home, deceased from what was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The tragic series of events was officially classified as a murder-suicide. No arrests were made due to the death of the sole suspect. Chekesha Clark was remembered as a loving mother to her two children.
