Man killed Sunday in Cedar Rapids had been acquitted of murder

CEDAR RAPIDS — A man shot to death early Sunday in Cedar Rapids had been acquitted in 2018 by a jury of first-degree murder and other charges related to a street fight involving dozens of combatants.

Cedar Rapids police said Kenyauta Vesey-Keith, 23, was killed in a shooting in the 1300 block of First Avenue SE. Officers were called at 12:06 a.m. Sunday and found Vesey-Keith suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

In 2018, Vesey-Keith was acquitted of first-degree murder and other charges stemming from a 2016 fight that led to the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Brandon Johnson. Vesey-Keith was 16 at the time of the shooting, and 18 at the time of the trial. He was accused of first-degree murder, attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury and intimidation with a weapon, but was acquitted of all charges.

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 at the time, was seriously injured.

In the trial, prosecutors argued that Vesey-Keith took a gun from a vehicle and fired multiple rounds, hitting Johnson and Gaudlin. Vesey-Keith's lawyers argued he fired the gun in self-defense and presented evidence that he had previous issues with Johnson and others before the street fight.

Vesey-Keith's mother, Saresa Keith, 39, pleaded guilty in 2017 to misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and assault causing bodily injury in relation to the fight on Maplewood Drive NE. In her plea, she admitted she brought her son to the fight along with her three daughters, ages 12, 17 and 20, and a 15-year-old family friend. She admitted to assaulting another person with a Taser during the fight. She received a suspended sentence and probation, which she completed in 2019.

The investigation into the shooting Sunday is ongoing, and no additional information was available. Police said they believed it was a targeted incident.

Anyone with additional information about the shooting was asked to call the Cedar Rapids Police Department at (319) 286-5491.

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