On a late Saturday morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the life of Michael Alexander McCune, a 16-year-old Black male, was ended by gunfire. On February 18, 2023, at approximately 11:42 a.m., police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1600 block of F Avenue NW. Officers arrived at an apartment complex to find Michael suffering from gunshot wounds.
First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but a targeted attack stemming from past conflicts. The investigation led them to three other teenagers who had conspired to kill Michael. The suspects were identified as Dante Irvin, who was 15, Baynon Berry, also 15, and Tramontez Lockett, who was 16 at the time of the shooting.
The legal process brought accountability for Michael's death. Baynon Berry was charged as an adult and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. A judge sentenced him to 50 years in prison. Tramontez Lockett also accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, and first-degree theft. For the murder and conspiracy charges, Lockett entered an Alford plea, not admitting guilt but acknowledging that the prosecution had sufficient evidence for a conviction.
Dante Irvin, the third teen charged in the fatal shooting, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced as a youth offender to a term of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
With the guilty pleas and convictions of all three individuals responsible for the attack, the case of Michael McCune's murder is considered solved. The final plea was entered by Tramontez Lockett, whose sentencing was scheduled for March 2025.
