Getaway driver in smoke shop killings charged in another shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS — A woman who was convicted of helping Andre Richardson escape after he killed two people outside a smoke shop in 2019 has been charged again in a shooting.

Alexandra Lanee Nicole Smith, 26, was charged last week with intimidation with a dangerous weapon, going armed with intent and reckless use of a firearm-bodily injury.

She is accused of shooting a pistol into a crowd of people March 27 outside a Kwik Shop at 1001 First Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids.

Police said Smith fired several rounds, with one striking Shayla Vaupel in her leg, causing a minor injury.

A criminal complaint states Smith was captured on surveillance video firing her handgun into an “assembly of people.” Smith previously had displayed the gun to a “crowd of people” during an earlier conflict.

Smith was arrested May 10 on a warrant. She remains in jail under a $20,000 bail. If convicted of all the new charges, Smith faces up to 20 years in prison.

Smith also faces revocation of probation for the accessory-after-the-fact conviction in the smoke shop shooting. She was sentenced in October to two years’ probation and was ordered to serve 180 days in jail.

According to court documents, Smith drove the vehicle Richardson was in May 18, 2019, when he fired multiple shots into an SUV, killing two 18-year-olds, Royal Abram and Matrell Johnson, who were sitting in the back seat outside the Iowa Smoke Shop, 70 Kirkwood Ct. SW.

Booker McKinney and Kayla Panos-Blackcloud, both 19, were in the front seats and suffered serious gunshot injuries.

Smith was convicted of speeding away from the scene with Richardson and letting him use her credit card to buy gas in Cedar Rapids and Urbandale to flee the area. She also went with Richardson to Raytown, Mo., and helped him buy clothing and a cellphone.

Two days after the shooting, Cedar Rapids police and U.S. marshals received a tip that Richardson was in the 300 block of 22nd Avenue SW. He was captured hiding in a garage in the area.

Richardson pleaded to two counts each of second-degree murder, attempted murder and willful injury, and to one count each of intimidation with dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm as a felon.

He was sentenced last year to 75 years in prison.

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