Sister: Cedar Rapids shooting victim 'always made you laugh'

CEDAR RAPIDS — The man and woman shot Saturday night in a Cedar Rapids home were a lot alike, a family member said Tuesday.

Kenneth L. Everett, 33, and Gabriel C. Thomas, 29, were shot inside a bedroom at 383 17th St. SE around 8:24 p.m. Saturday. Everett died of his injuries. Thomas suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but she remains hospitalized, said Andrea Bulter, her sister.

'She's doing OK right now,' Bulter said Tuesday. 'She's stable. She's trying to recover.'

Thomas and Everett had been in a relationship for five years, Bulter said. The two lived together with two of Thomas' five children. Everett and Thomas did not have any children together, but her children treated him as a father figure, Bulter said.

'She's exactly like him,' Bulter said. 'They're so funny; just goofy people all around. Caring. Always wanting to help others.'

Bulter said the couple had been living on 17th Street SE since April. Thomas worked a factory job, and Everett stayed at home with the children, Bulter said.

'He was calm, cool, collected,' Bulter said of Everett. 'He always made you laugh ... just a happy person.'

Police said multiple rounds were fired into the bedroom from outside the residence — a house with four apartment units, according to the

Cedar Rapids Assessor's Office. Police believe someone went up to the bedroom window and fired a gun.

Bulter said she hasn't spoken much with her sister about the incident, but said Everett tried to shield Thomas' body when the shots came in.

Police seek tips

No arrests have been made in the shooting, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call police at (319) 286-5491.

Bulter said she hopes that whoever is responsible for the shooting turns themselves in. 'They're a danger to the community,' she said.

lee.hermiston@thegazette.com.

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