Marion teen charged with murdering another teen in Cedar Rapids shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Marion teenager was arrested Thursday night on a charge of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of another Marion teen in May.

Keyun McGowan, 17, is accused of shooting Cristian Upah, also 17, on May 10 after attempting to rob Upah of money and vape cartridges at gunpoint in Cedar Rapids.

Besides the murder charge, McGowan also is facing two charges of first-degree robbery and one charge each of going armed with intent, assault while displaying a weapon and use of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime.

Upah died in a hospital May 10 after Cedar Rapids police found him suffering from a gunshot wound in the 3500 block of Oakland Road NE. Residents called police about 10 p.m. that night after hearing a disturbance followed by a gunshot.

According to a criminal complaint and a search warrant request, Upah had gone to Oakland Road NE with his girlfriend, Mia Updegraff, 19, to sell something to someone he knew from school, who Updegraff believed was named Jackson. The request, filed on May 23, was for a warrant to search Updegraff’s car, which was driven to the scene.

The returned warrant stated police found an Xbox box, multiple vapes and vape cartridges, and Upah’s driver’s license during the search. The warrant request states that Updegraff told police Upah was going to sell an Xbox to “Jackson,” but the criminal complaint states that Upah was selling the other boy vape cartridges.

“Jackson,” who police believe was actually McGowan, got into the back seat of the car and pulled out a gun, demanding that Upah and Updegraff give up the vape cartridges and all their money. McGowan initially pointed the gun at Upah, and when Upah did not immediately comply, he pointed the gun at Updegraff and threatened to kill her, the complaint states.

Upah started wrestling with McGowan, and the fight continued to the ground outside of the car. During the fight, McGowan shot Upah in the abdomen, according to the complaint.

A cellphone left at the scene was identified as belonging to McGowan, and a Snapchat conversation in the phone showed McGowan arranging to meet with Upah for the transaction at the location of the shooting, according to the complaint.

Residents who were home at the time of the shooting identified McGowan as being present at the time. Further police investigation also shows Upah and McGowan knew each other from school, and had vaped together in the bathroom. McGowan later confessed to a friend that he shot Upah during a robbery, the complaint states.

An obituary for Upah, who went by C.J., states he “had a very kind heart, especially for younger kids and animals. He loved playing video games and was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. C.J. liked watching movies including the Marvel movies and older movies such as ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’ C.J. loved hanging out with friends playing basketball at the local parks and even getting in a little fishing.”

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A friend of Upah’s started a GoFundMe page on behalf of Upah’s family, which, as of Friday morning, has raised $5,290. The money will go toward a memorial in Upah’s honor, according to the teen’s father, Jason Upah.

A warrant was issued for McGowan’s arrest May 23, and he was taken into custody Thursday. He had his first appearance in court Friday and is being held on a cash-only, $1 million bond.

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