Cedar Rapids man arrested in June fatal shooting outside bar

CEDAR RAPIDS — U.S. Marshals on Monday arrested a Cedar Rapids man, already on probation for a gun charge, in Indiana in connection with a fatal shooting June 11 in southeast Cedar Rapids.

Denzel Demarco Wilson, 23, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, use of a dangerous weapon in commission of a crime, going armed with intent and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to a U.S. Marshals news release.

He is accused of fatally shooting Kenyauta Vesey-Keith, 23, outside Poppa n Tommyz, a bar and restaurant at 1323 First Ave. SE., according to probation violation report filed in June about Wilson’s previous conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon.

U.S. Marshals said investigators with the Cedar Rapids Police Department contacted the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force on June 15 to request assistance in locating Wilson. Task force officers began to follow up on leads throughout Cedar Rapids, and then information developed indicating that Walker had fled the state. Officials began coordinating with multiple U.S. Marshal fugitive task forces outside of Iowa.

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In early August, U.S. Marshals determined a likely location for Wilson and began coordinating with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in Northern Indiana. The task force narrowed their search Monday to an address in the 4000 block of Van Buren Street in Gary, Ind.

U.S. Marshals arrived at the residence shortly after 8 a.m. and Wilson eventually surrendered and was arrested without incident.

He remains at the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Ind., and will be extradited to Iowa.

According to the probation violation report, officers responded to a call about shots fired June 11 outside Poppa n Tommyz and found Vesey-Keith on the ground outside the main entrance with multiple gunshot injuries. He was later died at the hospital.

A criminal complaint, according to the probation report, states several witnesses identified the shooter as Wilson. The witnesses told police Wilson shot Vesey-Keith multiple times at point blank range as he walked by. Surveillance cameras on the outside of the building corroborated the witnesses’ statements, according to the report.

A criminal complaint describing details of the charges has not been filed online yet.

Vesey-Keith was acquitted in 2018 of first-degree murder and other charges related to a 2016 street fight involving dozens of people. Vesey-Keith, who was 16 at the time, was accused of fatally shooting Brandon Johnson, 21.

Police said the street fight, on March 19, 2016, involved dozens of people fighting in the middle of the 1100 block of Maplewood Drive NE. Johnson was killed and Deaveon Gaudlin, who was 16 then, was seriously injured.

During his trial, Vesey-Keith argued he fired a gun in self-defense. Evidence shows he had previous issues with Johnson and others before the street melee.

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