In Des Moines, Iowa, on January 23, 2023, the life of a 16-year-old Black male named Rashad Carr was tragically cut short. He was a student at Starts Right Here, an educational center designed to help at-risk youth who struggled in traditional school settings. That Monday afternoon, another young man, 18-year-old Preston Walls, entered the facility's common area concealing a 9mm handgun. The program's founder, Will Keeps, attempted to escort Walls out of the building.
It was then that Walls pulled away and began shooting.
His first target was Rashad Carr. As Carr tried to flee after being shot, Walls pursued him and shot him several more times. The gunfire also claimed the life of Rashad's best friend, 18-year-old Gionni Dameron, and left Will Keeps seriously injured. Rashad was taken to Methodist Medical Center, where he passed away. Friends and family remember Rashad as a loving, respectful, and caring young man who had played football since he was six and was pursuing a budding music career as a talented rapper. Tragically, Rashad's father had also been killed by gun violence in Des Moines in 2008.
Following the shooting, Preston Walls fled the scene, cutting off a court-ordered GPS ankle monitor he was wearing for a previous case. Police quickly identified him as the suspect and he was arrested. Walls was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Rashad Carr and Gionni Dameron, one count of attempted murder for the shooting of Will Keeps, and one count of criminal gang participation. Authorities stated that the shooting was likely gang-related, asserting that Walls and the two victims were members of opposing street gangs.
The legal process that followed brought some measure of closure. Preston Walls was ultimately found guilty for his actions. He admitted during his trial to firing the shots that killed both teenagers. He is now serving a 65-year prison sentence for the murders. Another man, who was accused of being the getaway driver, was acquitted on all charges. The violent event left two families devastated and a community mourning the loss of two young lives that held promise and a future that would never be realized.
