Keyshawn Allers’ mother looking for answers a year after his murder

CEDAR RAPIDS — It has been a year since Tiona Allers’ son was gunned down at his grandmother’s house and every day without him has been a nightmare for her.

Keyshawn Allers, 19, was killed July 12, 2020. No arrests have been made. Cedar Rapids police said he was found just before 4 a.m. at the Summit View Village mobile home park in the 100 block of Curtis Street SW. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“I knew something was seriously wrong when I got a call from my mom,” Tiona Allers said of the night she learned her son had been killed. “It was probably 3:40 a.m. and my mom called and said something was wrong with Keyshawn. I shot out of bed and ran out the door and jumped in the car.”

Tiona Allers lives in Palo. Keyshawn, she said, spent his time between her house and his grandmother’s house in Cedar Rapids. That night, he had spent the night at his grandmother’s house. As she was driving to Cedar Rapids, Allers said she got a second call from her mom telling her Keyshawn had been shot.

“When we got there, I could see Keyshawn was lying on the ground and the paramedics were working on him,” she said. “And then, after about 10 minutes, they put a blanket over him and that’s when I knew my son was dead.”

“They wouldn’t let me touch him,” she said. “I couldn’t touch him, I couldn’t hold him, I never got to say goodbye.”

Police have released few details about the killing or the moments leading up to Keyshawn Allers’ death. In response to The Gazette’s request for an update, the Cedar Rapids Police Department said Monday the shooting still is under investigation and there is no new information to report.

The night her son died, Allers said, he was sleeping on the couch in his grandmother’s living room and “heard people trying to bust in.” She said he confronted the intruders and was shot multiple times.

“I think it was a robbery,” she said. “I think they saw Keyshawn’s car — he drove a Mercedes — and they saw he had nice clothes and assumed he had money and decided to rob him. And I think he recognized who they were and they killed him.”

In the first few weeks after her son’s death, Allers said she had hope police would arrest his killers. But now, as Monday marked a year, she is asking that anyone who has information about her son’s death come forward.

“I thought, because there was (surveillance) video of what happened to my son that his case would be solved quickly and we would get some closure,” she said. “But that hasn’t happened.” Police told her the quality of the video was too poor to use in charging suspects, she said.

“People just need to step up and tell police what they know,” she said. “We need answers. My family needs answers.”

Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Keyshawn Allers was the sixth of 10 children. Keyshawn and two of his siblings are Tiona’s children, she said; the seven remaining siblings are Keyshawn’s half siblings on his father’s side. All of the siblings were close, she said.

“It’s taken a huge toll on our family,” she said of her son’s murder. “We didn’t ask to be put in this situation, but we’re all struggling with it every day.”

Tiona Allers said her son was the type of guy people could depend on. He was a protective big brother and was beloved by his young nieces. He played varsity football at Kennedy High School, which he attended for three years, Tiona Allers said, but he graduated from Jefferson High.

“He said he wanted to be the first Allers to graduate from college,“ Tiona said. ”He was taking classes at Kirkwood (Community College) and actually, the week before he died, he met with a recruiter from the National Guard and we were talking about him wanting to join.“

His death has left a gaping hole in the family, she said.

“I wouldn’t wish this on any mother,” Tiona Allers said.

To mark the anniversary of her son’s death, Allers hosted a cookout Monday evening at Noelridge Park in northeast Cedar Rapids and honored her son with a balloon release. The family also had T-shirts made, which they are selling to raise money for a CrimeStoppers reward fund. Donations to the Keyshawn Allers reward fund can also be made directly at Collins Community Credit Union. The reward is currently at $10,000.

Tiona Allers said $2,500 came from CrimeStoppers and her family put up the other $7,500. But so far, she said, that hasn’t been enough to persuade people to come forward.

“We need justice,” Tiona Allers said. “People need to speak up. How would you like it if this was your son or your brother or your friend? We need people to do the right thing so we can try to find some peace and heal.”

Comments: (319) 398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com.