Two teens accused in fatal shooting of Cedar Rapids teen in February

CEDAR RAPIDS — Two teenagers were arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Michael McCune in February in northwest Cedar Rapids.

Dante Irvin, 15, and Tramontez Lockett, 16, face charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony and going armed with intent. Lockett also is charged with aiding and abetting first-degree theft, according to a news release from Cedar Rapids police.

Lockett is being charged in adult court and will have his initial appearance Friday.

Irvin will be charged in juvenile court, but Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said prosecutors will ask to have his case waived into adult court.

Cedar Rapids police found McCune with several gunshot wounds at the Tan Tara Apartments, 1640 F Ave. NW, shortly after 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18. He died at the scene.

Criminal complaints for Irvin and Lockett were not available Thursday, but a search warrant affidavit to search Lockett’s phone contains additional information about the shooting. Irvin is not mentioned by name in the warrant.

According to the warrant, a gray 2019 Toyota RAV4 was stolen from a gas station in southwest Cedar Rapids at 9:53 a.m. Feb. 18, and two individuals were seen at the theft. Police believe Lockett was one of them.

The SUV was seen on video footage near Franbrook Terrace NW at 9:57 a.m. and 11:12 a.m. There was also video footage of four individuals walking along Franbrook Terrace at 10:40 a.m. Two of whom were dressed the same as Lockett and the other person seen at the gas station, who was the driver of the stolen SUV, according to the warrant.

The Toyota was later seen near the Tan Tara Apartments at around 11:30 a.m.

Surveillance video near the apartments shows the Toyota driving past, and then three males walking toward the apartments, coming from the direction the SUV had gone. They were wearing clothes that match the clothes worn by three of the individuals seen on Franbrook Terrace, the warrant states.

On video, the three individuals walk into the parking lot, and the person police believe to be Lockett can be seen talking on a phone. The three individuals walk around some garages and appear to be chasing someone toward the apartment building where McCune was later found lying in the entryway.

This was around the same time 911 calls started coming in about a shooting at the apartment complex. A witness described a gray Toyota RAV4 leaving the scene of the shooting, the warrant states.

McCune’s phone was recovered and showed that he had been messaging a Snapchat account belonging to Lockett to set up a time to meet. Lockett provided McCune with a phone number that is associated with the person police believe was the driver of the stolen RAV4.

The RAV4 was found in Maquoketa on Feb. 25, and police found a jacket in the SUV that they believe Lockett was wearing when the SUV was stolen. A phone number that came back to Lockett’s mother was paired with the SUV’s entertainment system, the warrant states.

On Feb. 28, Lockett was pulled over after leading police on a car chase in a different stolen vehicle. He admitted to police he had been with another person who stole the RAV4 but said he wasn’t the one driving, according to police.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com