Sir William Deshawn Bekish, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot and killed the morning of June 28, 2020, outside the Karma Bar on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. Witnesses say staff were attempting to disperse a crowd of several hundred people when gunfire broke out; Bekish was struck in the head and two women were also wounded. He was remembered by family and community members as a chef and a pillar of the Black community who organized toy drives and fed the homeless.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated and identified a suspect. Gordon Jerome Johnson, 35, of Des Moines, was initially taken into custody the day of the shooting on a Reckless Use of a Firearm allegation and was accused in the complaint of discharging a Ruger 9mm in the presence of about 200 people and of hiding the weapon in a storm drain. Charges were later upgraded to include First Degree Murder and Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon in connection with Bekish’s death.

If anyone was at the Karma Bar that night or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.