On Monday, two teenage participants in the Starts Right Here education program died from gunshot wounds, and the originator of the organization was also hurt.
Authorities charged a second youngster on Friday with murder concerning the shooting deaths of two kids at an educational program in Des Moines.
Des Moines resident Bravon Michael Tukes, 19, is charged with two charges of first-degree murder, one act of attempted murder, and one count of involvement in a criminal organization.
The accusations are consistent with those made against Preston Walls, 18, earlier this week. Walls is suspected of shooting two teenage students at the Starts Right Here education program on Monday, killing one of them, and injuring the organization’s creator.
According to the police, there is proof that Tukes spoke with Walls prior to and soon after the shooting and that he was the one who operated the car that Walls reportedly escaped in. The shootings were perpetrated “in connection with that gang membership” by Tukes and Walls, who belong to the same gang, according to a news release from the police.
Four guns were reportedly found during the inquiry, according to the police. It wasn’t clear from online court records whether Tukes already had a lawyer who could speak for him.
Gionni Dameron, 18, and Rashad Carr, 16, died as a result of the shooting. Former Chicago gang member and Des Moines resident Will Keeps, who later started the program to assist at-risk youngsters, was gravely hurt and is still being treated there.
Police have claimed that all four of the teenagers are gang members, however, Dameron and Carr’s family and friends contradict this, claiming that the two were not part of gangs and instead were good friends who were devoted to their families.
Police claim that Walls, under supervision following a firearms arrest last year, ripped off an ankle monitor 16 minutes prior to the shooting, which was premeditated. According to court records, he entered a communal area of Starts Right Here and started shooting while carrying a hidden semiautomatic handgun with a high-capacity extended magazine.
This week, there were no classes at the education program, which assists students who have struggled in traditional schools and collaborates with Des Moines Public Schools. Keeps has developed strong relationships with local authorities, and the city’s police chief chairs the program’s board.
The interim superintendent of schools, Matt Smith, called Keeps “Amazing. extraordinary passion
