Mother of teen charged for murder arrested on child endangerment, assault charges

CEDAR RAPIDS - The mother of the 16-year-old boy who allegedly shot and killed another man during a large brawl has been arrested for bringing her son to the fight, a fight that police now believe was pre-arranged.

Authorities said the woman, 39-year-old Saresa Keith, also engaged in the fight, using a stun gun during the melee. She has been arrested on charges of child endagerment, carrying weapons and assault while using a weapon.

Keith was arrested after a traffic stop Thursday morning in the 2700 block of Prairie Drive NE.

Keith's son, Kenyauta Vesey-Keith is accused of fatally shooting 21-year-old Brandon Johnson during a fight on March 19 in the 1100 block of Maplewood Drive. Police said the fight was a continuation of a dispute that began with a brawl in the Lindale Mall food court in February 2014 that turned into an ongoing rivalry between two families and their associates. On March 19, a dozen or more people, including adults and juveniles, fought in the middle of Maplewood Drive.

Police said during that fight, Vesey-Keith got a gun from a vehicle, fired multiple rounds and hit two people. Johnson was fatally struck. Another teen, 16-year-old Deaveon Gaudlin was seriously injured in the shooting.

Vesey-Keith was arrested and has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury and intimidation with a weapon. He's scheduled to go to trial in July.

Police said investigation into the fatal shooting showed Saresa Keith brought her son to the 'pre-arranged fight.” She was carrying a stun gun and used it during the assault, police said.