Waterloo man sentenced for concealing gun used in unintentional shooting death of teen

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 20-year-old who took and concealed the handgun used in the unintentional shooting death of 15-year-old Senquez Jackson last March was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday in Linn County District Court.

Queshandis R. Seals of Waterloo made written guilty pleas last December to carrying weapons and obstructing prosecution, both aggravated misdemeanors. Each of the two-year sentences were run consecutively and would run concurrently with the sentence he faces in Black Hawk County for robbery and weapons charges.

The criminal complaint shows Seals took the gun and concealed it from police overnight after Dennis Warren, 13, unintentionally discharged the .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol inside a Cedar Rapids home at 1423 Bever Ave. SE on March 18, 2016. The clip had been removed from the weapon but a round was left in the chamber and the gun was discharged, fatally shooting Jackson.

Warren is charged in Juvenile Court with involuntary manslaughter, carrying weapons, preventing apprehension and obstructing prosecution, a criminal complaint shows. No further information is available because juvenile records aren't made public.

Seals admitted to taking the gun that killed Jackson, according to the complaint.

A complaint shows Warren gave Seals the gun at the McDonald's on First Avenue to keep police from finding it. Then, Seals gave it to another person on March 19, the day Jackson died.

Seals was on probation for drugs and carrying weapons in Black Hawk County in a 2015 offense when he was arrested for taking the gun from Warren, court documents show. Seals also faces a first-degree robbery charge in Black Hawk County that he picked up while on pretrial release in this case. Seals and another man, Dewon Campbell, are accused of robbing a woman at gunpoint on July 21 in her Cedar Falls apartment, a complaint shows.

The woman told police Campbell held a gun to her head and demanded money and marijuana, while Seals went through items in her home, the complaint shows. The woman said the two stole gaming equipment, a cellphone, marijuana and $700.

Police stopped a vehicle later with Seals and Campbell and the stolen items were recovered, along with a 9 mm Ruger pistol and .38 special revolver, both fully loaded, the complaint shows.

His trial in the robbery case is set for Feb. 28.

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