In the spring of 2016, a life was cut tragically short in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Brandon Johnson, a 21-year-old Black / African American male, died on March 19, 2016, from a gunshot wound. His death was the culmination of a dispute that escalated into a street fight involving more than a dozen people in the 1100 block of Maplewood Drive NE. The incident resulted in another teenager, 16-year-old Deaveon Gaulden, being seriously injured.
Following an investigation into the shooting,
authorities arrested 16-year-old Kenyauta Vesey-Keith. He was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Brandon Johnson, as well as attempted murder for the injuries sustained by Gaulden. The investigation also led to the arrest of Vesey-Keith's mother, Saresa Keith. She faced charges of child endangerment, carrying weapons, and assault while using or displaying a weapon after it was determined that she had driven her son to the pre-arranged fight. Saresa Keith was also accused of using a stun gun during the altercation.
The legal proceedings that followed painted a picture of a chaotic and violent encounter. When Kenyauta Vesey-Keith stood trial, his defense attorneys argued that his actions were taken in self-defense. They claimed that he retrieved a gun from a vehicle and fired several times during the street fight to protect himself. In October 2018, a jury acquitted Vesey-Keith of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other related crimes. After the verdict, he was released from custody.
